


Clair de Lune

by mabwrites



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Needs a Hug, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Alternate Universe - Music, F/M, Identity Reveal, adrien plays the piano and we love him for it, talented kids do teenager stuff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 29,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29354055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mabwrites/pseuds/mabwrites
Summary: At a Parisian boarding school for adolescents gifted in the fine arts, brooding pianist Adrien Agreste and aspiring costume designer Marinette Dupain-Cheng just can't stop crossing paths.After all, she's a newbie in a school of nouveau professionals, and trying to balance being Ladybug with building a future in fashion often results in her losing sleep.Conversely, for some reason, late at night, an ever-mysterious Adrien Agreste just can't stop playing the same melancholic tune on the piano in the practice room.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 67
Kudos: 108





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I’m posting this work both on Ao3 and Wattpad, so over there, my username is @hukelemmonss. All characters (except Luka) have been aged up to seventeen/eighteen, in their final year of lycée. Some more context to the story is in my first chapter on Wattpad, but it shouldn’t take that long to catch on.

**PARIS, FRANCE**

**JUNE**

It was on a weekend trip into Paris to see Jagged Stone in concert when Marinette Dupain-Cheng's life was changed entirely.

How was she meant to know that helping an old man cross the street would burden her with being a teen hero for the foreseeable future?

"I must be hallucinating."

The young girl stood in the cleanest porta potty she could find on short notice, eyes wide from the sight in front of her.

She could swear that her entire body was shaking from her nerves, although the sonic waves from the heavy bass in Jagged's set could have very well been a prime contributor to these tremors as well.

"No, Marinette! This is very real and serious! He wouldn't have put you in charge if you couldn't handle it!"

Tikki, her 'kwami,' who had known her for ten minutes maximum, was already convinced that she was some godly person, a real-life Atlas that could balance the entire world on her shoulders.

Could that be true? Possibly.

However, it wasn't up to the new hero, because some man Tikki referred to as her 'Master' already decided for her.

Marinette made the executive decision to be a little more wary with helping strangers from now on.

In Marinette's eyes, she could barely handle going into her final year of lycée. Protecting Paris on top of that, with a thirty minute commute to the city from her home in Sèvres? Impossible.

"That master man must have thought that I'm a Parisian teenager..." Marinette panicked. Although she was honored to be chosen for such a serious task, protecting the city of Paris is difficult from the suburbs of it. "I'm flattered, but I really can't make the trip whenever there is trouble!"

Tikki floated closer to Marinette, taking her face between her cute little arms. The girl didn't know whether to be terrified, or to just give in to the magical creature.

From what Tikki had graciously explained to her about kwamis, the young girl had just gained a new best friend and life partner. The bind between a miraculous holder and their kwami seemed like a marriage of some sorts, a special paring between those that are meant to be together.

"If there is anything I've learned from the Ladybugs before you," Tikki said, attempting to impart some words of wisdom on to the young girl, "it is that Ladybug always finds a solution."

Marinette couldn't deny that she loved to problem solve. Although she'd never been able to take her own advice, her favorite pastime was being a dutiful makeshift therapist to her friends.

"Find a solution..." Marinette mumbled, as if she was racking her brain for the perfect plan.

And then it hit her. She quickly exited the makeshift bathroom, giving Tikki a comfortable hiding spot in her purse.

━━━━━━

**SÈVRES, FRANCE**

**AUGUST**

Marinette held the envelope in her hands daintily, as if being too rough with it would cause it to fall apart, all of her hard work smashed to smithereens.

It had taken two full weeks of groveling for her parents to finally break down and allow her to apply, even if the boarding school was so close to home.

Although they didn't want their little girl away from home during her final year before heading off to université, they saw how much this school had grown to mean to her.

Lycée Fauré was an elite school for the fine arts, and the fashion design that Marinette did was merely just a hobby. Some of the kids that were accepted into and enrolled in their design department had already won prestigious awards and assisted in costuming for the stage and screen.

Marinette didn't kid herself, she knew her extracurriculars alone would never get her in. She had always been an excellent student, but that was only half the battle when it came to gaining acceptance at the arts school.

Following the weekend of the Jagged concert, she had holed herself up entirely, pouring all of her focus into making upscale pieces for her portfolio.

She was glad that her parents let her apply about half a month after she began her work, because by the time she was finished, she had truly put her blood, sweat, and tears into her ensembles.

After completing her portfolio, a week remained before the school's _terminale_ transfer application was due, and Marinette still had to complete her entrance essays. She worked painstakingly on them, eyes tired from staring at the screen of her laptop all day.

Questions like "what draws you to fashion design?" and "how did you develop the mind of a creator?" swirled in her mind.

They would be so simple for her to answer if she was asked upfront, why did reading them on the application feel so daunting?

Although applying to the school was originally a cop-out to be in Paris all the time, she quickly took a deep interest in it.

Not only would she finally be able to stop swinging into the city by her yo-yo for every bi-weekly akuma attack, but she would be taking a streamlined route to a true career as a fashion designer.

While she had always seen herself as becoming a teacher of some sort, the idea of going to Lycée Fauré made her see the possibility of a career in fashion or costume design.

Could her hobby really be a viable job?

Marinette quickly realized she had been lost in thought, re-fixing her eyes on the envelope before her.

No matter how much she wanted to tear open the letter that would change her life, she simply walked inside with it and calmly placed it on the kitchen table.

Tom and Sabine, her supportive parents, immediately turned their heads from the dish they were cooking for dinner to set their eyes on the letter.

"That's it, huh?" Tom asked, sliding a pair of oven mitts off of his hands.

Marinette swallowed, her mouth suddenly very dry. She nodded in confirmation.

"Well, open it!" Sabine said, as she was never one to beat around the bush.

Marinette nodded in confirmation yet again.

She picked the envelope up from where she momentarily rested it on the table, delicately beginning to open it from its sealed state.

Joining Chat Noir—her akuma-fighting partner—in Paris would be a dream come true. Not in the sense that she truly desired to be closer to him, but because they never really had time to get to know each other outside of their jobs as the 'Heroes of Paris.'

Marinette always felt as though she was fighting Hawk Moth with a stranger, not even knowing his true personality in the slightest.

Though she was too strong-willed to admit it, the palpable distance between them, both physically and emotionally, upset her. After all, he was her teammate.

Marinette dragged her finger across the tight seal, a slight ripping sound emitting from the envelope.

"Shit..." slipped from Marinette's lips, but her parents didn't dare to scold her for her language.

Not at a time like this.

The young girl had always been a good kid with good friends and good grades. She finally deserved the chance to be great, and Lycée Fauré would do that for her.

Marinette eventually pulled the flap of the envelope free from its seal, an off-white piece of paper folded up inside.

She carefully removed it, not even realizing that she was holding her breath.

Tikki quietly hid in the roomy pocket of the hoodie Marinette was wearing, nearly as on edge as her owner. Just as the citizen wasn't delighted with having to travel so far to fight, Tikki wasn't comfortable being so far from Master Fu and the other kwamis.

Marinette finally unfolded the letter, scanning the top line for trigger words such as, "congratulations!" and "we regret to inform you that..."

The girl read the first paragraph of the letter, a soft gasp coming from her lips.

_Congratulations, Mme. Dupain-Cheng! You have been admitted to Lycée Fauré amongst one of the most competitive applicant pools..._

"Well?" Her parents said, practically in unison.

"It looks like next month, I'll be off to Paris!" Marinette exclaimed.

Both of her parents rushed to her side, wrapping her in a hug so tight, one would think she was heading off right then and there.


	2. Wandering Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette becomes acquainted with her new surroundings, and catches the gaze of a green-eyed stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a learning curve with Ao3, so excuse any weird formatting or errors... I had an issue with this story coming up as a one-shot and not multi-chap, so sorry about that!

**LYCÈE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

**SEPTEMBER**

Marinette stood in front of the tall doors of her new home, wondering what the hell she'd gotten herself into.

Move-in day was anything but serene, with artists lugging easels into the small elevator shafts, taking up an unruly amount of space. The tuba, trombone, and saxophone players were even worse.

The young girl was glad that the fabric and supplies she brought were all safely tucked away in her luggage and there didn't seem to be any fashion students entering with their own mannequins, which was a thought that did cross her mind.

Whilst most of the young professionals were accompanied by their parents, a tall and lean boy with a mop of ash blonde hair caught Marinette's eye.

Where had she seen him before?

He had no apparent father or mother by his side, but a tall and slender woman who bared no resemblance to him, with deep black hair and intense eyes. She was far too impersonal with him to be a step-mother, it seemed more as though she was a nanny with a big paycheck and even bigger responsibilities.

The unnamed boy turned his gaze to the girl who was practically burning holes in the back of his head, his piercing green eyes locking with her blue ones for a short moment before she tore her vision away from him.

"Come on guys, I think I'm on the third floor." Marinette beckoned her parents to follow her, carefully reading her room number off of the welcome packet she was given at the headmaster's office about twenty minutes prior. She knew that the boys were on the first floor, with the second floor being a divider between the men's and women's floors, as well as a common space for all of the dorm's residents.

She dragged a suitcase behind her, her father taking the brunt of her things as they were finally next in line for the elevator, being far too lazy for the stairs.

They quickly made it to the third floor, which was the women's floor—as Marinette expected—and began searching for Quad 13, the four-room dorm Marinette was going to reside in.

The living situation didn't seem half bad to her. Hell, she was excited to live with three new girls and have some built-in best friends. Quad 13 consisted of four single rooms, one shared bathroom, and a common room with a balcony. The terminale on campus always got the best housing, and Marinette was glad she never had to deal with the decrepit underclassmen dorms.

When the Dupain-Cheng move-in-crew arrived at the girl's room, she fished the brand new key out of the pocket of her jeans and unlocked the door. She was surprised to see that she was the first one there, though her family had always tended to be on the early side at these things.

Thanks to Tom's strength, they managed to lug up all of Marinette's things in one trip. After all, her parents and home in Sèvres were only a metro ride away, so she didn't feel the need to bring her whole life along with her.

Marinette located the room labeled 3 in the quad, recognizing it as hers. She walked in and took in her surroundings, already feeling at home. She had to decorate, of course, but the provided desk, queen bed, and chaise already had a sort of "Marinette" flair to them.

Tom and Sabine put their arms around her, hanging on for dear life. "Are you sure you can unpack and get settled all by yourself?" Sabine asked, wanting to get a little more time with her precious only child.

"Don't worry mom," Marinette said with a slight giggle, "I'm a big girl. I got it all under control."

This remark made Tom a little teary-eyed, though he'd always been a smidge dramatic when it came to his daughter. "We don't want you to be a big girl! Stay young and little!" he cried.

Although Marinette knew her father was playing with her, she still felt a pang of remorse for leaving her friends and parents back in Sèvres.

Whenever the guilt crept up and consumed her, she reminded herself that she was doing this not only for her future, but the future of Paris as well.

"You'll be fine, dad. I promise," Marinette said, giving both of her parents a quick kiss on both cheeks. "You too mom."

With a few more 'final' hugs and kisses goodbye, Tom and Sabine exited the Cézanne Dormitory until their next visit.

Marinette left her door open so she could begin to unpack and decorate while greeting her roommates as they trickled in. She assumed they already knew each other, since Lycée Fauré wasn't known for taking many _terminale_ transfer students.

━━━━━

The young girl's assumptions were right, as her three other roommates all entered together while she was about an hour and a half into personalizing her space.

"Oh my gosh, girl!" an unfamiliar, tan-skinned girl said. "You must be Marinette! We've been so excited to get to know our mystery roomie!" she continued. The short bleach blonde on one side of her nodded, while the other girl, with raven black hair, simply smiled at Marinette.

"That's me," Marinette said with a light giggle, exiting her room to meet them in the common area. "Would you all mind introducing yourselves to me? It'd be nice to finally get to know some people around here..."

"Oh, no worries, I totally get that! My first year here, I barely knew my roommates and freaked out when I knew nobody on the first day! That's why Alya, Juleka, and I decided to room with a transfer. So you can skip the awkward stage!" the blonde enthused.

"Except with Rose, it's always the awkward stage." Juleka said with a light chuckle, earning her a mean look from Rose. Marinette giggled, already liking these girls.

The three strangers quickly became new friends, as they conversed with the new girl and gave her the terminale run down.

Alya introduced herself as a member of the film department, with a concentration in documentary and investigative work. Juleka, a member of the art school, was mainly taking courses in painting, drawing, and other 2D mediums. Rose, a singer, enrolled in vocal performance through the music department.

Alya, always having the inside scoop, gave Marinette the skinny on who is who in their social circle.

"There's Nino—who is my delicious boyfriend—and he's in the music school with Rose, but for composition. Juleka's older brother Luka was there last year for composition too, but he's working classes as a Teacher's Assistant this year to save up and get more experience before going to université at the Berklee College of Music in America next year," she babbled, giving a slight smirk to the new girl before continuing with, "He's kinda cute, if you're into more mature guys." Alya finished with a wink.

It seemed as though Alya joking about Luka's looks when Juleka was around was a running joke between the two, because after her comment, Juleka gave Alya a sharp jab in the side.

"Ow, shit. It really hurt that time, Juleka." The auburn-haired girl whined.

"That's my brother, Alya. You've known him forever, don't be weird." the raven-haired girl mumbled.

"Well, there's also Chloé and her henchman Sabrina who will be in the fashion school with you, so I recommend to steer clear." Rose advised, as if she knew how heinous the girls could be from experience. Alya and Juleka nodded in agreement. "Really Marinette, you should try and stay on Chloé's good side, or you'll find nothing but trouble here." Alya added.

Marinette dealt with her fair share of mean girls in Sèvres, she was sure that these two would be no different.

"There's also Adrien Agreste, who I'm sure you already know, being a fashion gal. Obviously he's in the music school for piano, but he mostly hangs with Nino and keeps to himself." Alya stated. Marinette's mind flashed back to the blonde she caught eyes with earlier in the day, now recalling exactly who he was.

Adrien Agreste was not only famous in his own right—being a French piano prodigy—but he was also in the spotlight as the son of the widowed Gabriel Agreste, a renowned fashion designer.

Suddenly, the absence of parental figures at the move in made sense to Marinette, as Gabriel was known to be a hermit, rarely engaging with anyone outside of his home if it wasn't for business reasons. Without knowing Adrien personally, she already felt a slight bit of remorse for him.

"I'm sure you already got your schedule, but we have our academic classes in the mornings, and our arts courses in the afternoons. Can I see your schedule?" Juleka asked, holding her hand out for the piece of paper. Marinette rushed back into her room and picked up her schedule, walked back out to the common room, and handed it to Juleka. She quickly scanned over it, her eyes bugging out of her head.

"Wow, you must be really good at math," she enthused, her eyes focused on the advanced calculus course that the girl was enrolled in. "You're in our class for every other subject, but I guess you'll leave us in pre-calculus while you go take your nerdy math." she joked.

Marinette immediately turned red with embarrassment. She had always had a thing with numbers and problem solving. The same way that some students at Lycée Fauré could hear a melody in their head by reading notes on a page, she could solve a problem by simply assessing it. There was nothing else to it, just something she had always had a knack for.

"Well, I'm sure I'd never be able to paint like you can, Juleka." the girl responded with a smile, eliciting a bashful blush from the raven-haired girl.

"We have a bunch of cool people in our class, and I'm sure you'll meet and befriend them as you get more comfortable here. For now, just take a deep breath!" Rose said with a cheery energy. Marinette could tell that she was extremely excited about getting back to school.

"Any more questions?" Alya asked, giving a sly smile to the blunette.

"Yeah," she started, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you know where I could get some food around here?" she asked, her stomach grumbling right on cue.

The four girls laughed together, a telltale sign that they would be a tight-knit group this year. Marinette felt as though she could relax, finding her place in the puzzle of the elusive Lycée Fauré.

━━━━━

The girls lead a hungry Marinette out of their dorm to a nice building next door, its heavenly scent already telling Marinette that this is where the food was hiding. 

"The great thing about staying in Cézanne is that it's right next to the best d-hall on campus! Just another perk of being a terminale." Alya enthused, linking arms with Marinette and walking her into the cafeteria.

"We also eat out at the Champs-Élysées a lot, but that's only really if we have definite group plans." Rose added.

The girls quickly grabbed meals for lunch, landing on some assortments of salads, soups, and sandwiches that were being offered.

Some students were still with their parents, grabbing a final lunch with them before saying goodbye. Many students were getting re-acquainted with their friends, laughing over new and older memories from their past time at lycée.

The four girls sat at a circular table together, chatting about everything and nothing at the same time, as teen girls do.

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot! Did you guys see Ladybug and Chat Noir's fight against The Punisher last week? It was by far their best battle yet! And a birthday cake for a lucky charm? I swear, those things get weirder every time!" Alya ranted. Marinette smiled softly; she was glad she had a fan in Alya after only a month on duty as one of the 'Heroes of Paris'.

"Now that I'm back in Paris, I'm gonna put my film skills to the test and capture their battles myself." she said confidently.

"Don't you think that's a little dangerous?" Marinette said, nervous about Alya getting into trouble with an akumatized person.

She already had enough work while fighting akumas, she hadn't even considered that in Paris, even her new friends could possibly be akumatized. Would it be different fighting someone she knows? Did Chat Noir know some of the victims personally?

Alya shrugged in response to Marinette's question, taking a hefty bite of her sandwich. "Good reporters always seek out the best stories, even if they are dangerous." she said with a full mouth.

Marinette rolled her eyes at the girl, but still laughed at her muffled response. She looked around the dining hall as Alya went on about Ladybug, her wandering blue eyes freezing as they locked with a familiar pair of emerald green ones for the second time that day.

Except this time, he was the one staring at her.

He tore his gaze away from hers, as if it was payback for her doing the same to him that morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I hope you all enjoyed! Kudos and comments with feedback are always appreciated!


	3. Clair De Lune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette discovers a delightful oddity in her dorm room.

**PARIS, FRANCE**

**EIFFEL TOWER**

"Wow M'lady, you got to the scene faster than ever today. Taking a new shortcut, my queen of the suburbs?" Chat asked, making goo-goo eyes at his heavenly crush.

Marinette—disguised as Ladybug, of course—rolled her eyes at her silly _chaton_.

Although she dismissed his comment, her shortened trip to battle 'Miss Behavior', the latest villain sent by Hawk Moth, was an amazing advantage. She was no longer winded on arrival, and Chat Noir didn't need to hold off the akumtized victim while waiting for his partner to show up.

"I'd say we kicked ass twice as fast. Would you agree with me, Bugaboo?" he asked, twirling his staff to show off.

"You're right, it was awfully easy. I wonder if Hawk Moth is feeling okay..." Ladybug said, her overwhelming sense of empathy knowing no bounds.

"You're seriously worried about the state of our sworn enemy?" Chat scoffed, sauntering over to his lady.

"Hey, he's a miraculous holder, just like us. Something must have happened for him to stop doing good and start doing evil..." the super-girl pondered, deep in thought.

"Well, how about you and I go for a walk across the street at the Trocadéro and we can discuss it? Or, we could discuss other things..." the sly cat said, slithering an arm around his partner. She quickly took his hand off of her, her earrings emitting a beeping sound to signal that her time with Chat was almost up.

"As much as I would love to, _mon chaton_ , I need to bug out." She said, grabbing at her waist for her yo-yo.

"Tell your friends that us city dwellers say hi!" Chat joked, flashing a smile at the girl.

"Actually," Ladybug trailed off, throwing her yo-yo to wrap around a beam of the tower, "I'm a city dweller too, now."

And with that, she was off.

"And how in the hell did you pull that off?" Chat shouted after her, sighing as she swung out of view. Respecting her privacy, he hung back for a minute before using his staff to travel in the same direction that his partner did moments ago.

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

Just as Marinette had cooled down from her battle earlier, while she was relaxing on the couch in the Quad 13 common room, Alya busted through the door.

"Marinette! Thank the lord that someone's home. I just can't keep this in!" she squealed, practically jumping up and down.

"What is it?" the blunette asked, stretching as she stood up off of the couch to approach the elated girl.

"They may just be some dumpy clips on my phone, but I got my very first pieces of footage for my exposé on Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya cheered, pulling out her phone to show off her videos.

"I'm sorry," Marinette started, a little dumbfounded. "Did you say exposé?"

"Yup! I'm gonna find out their true identities."

Just like that, danger alarms started going off inside of Marinette's head. How would she talk the super fan out of this one?

The blunette knew that Tikki's powers allowed her to be unrecognizable, no citizen had the ability to simply see through her Ladybug façade. In order to truly confirm their discovery of her identity, someone had to see her de-transform.

Not only was Alya on a dangerous path by trying to expose the identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir, but her inevitable failure would most likely drive her absolutely bonkers. While the idea of Alya pulling her hair out over her project was amusing, Marinette remembered that she had to live with this girl and remain sane while doing so.

"Hey, you know their identities are a secret for a reason. Maybe you're better off trying to discover who Hawk Moth is?" Marinette proposed. Her and Chat really could use some help in that department, if Alya had the time for complicated projects.

Between fighting akumas and preparing for université, the partners didn't have the energy to expend on a personal investigation into Hawk Moth.

The Paris Police were the primary investigators on all things Hawk Moth, but they had made little to no progress on discovering who the villain is since his first appearance in June. Ladybug and Chat Noir gave them any relevant information after every battle, but the force continued to come up short, grasping at straws.

"Hmm... Hawk Moth..." Alya pondered. "You're totally right, girl! That would be so much better!"

Marinette let out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, by the way," the auburn-haired girl said, walking over to open the door to her room. "There's gonna be a movie night and PJ party on the second floor later to celebrate the start of our terminale year tomorrow. The whole building will be there, you have to come." she pleaded.

Was tomorrow really the first day of classes?

Marinette had managed to become so wrapped up in adjusting to Lycée Fauré that she'd entirely forgotten that it was school and not an elusive sleep away camp.

"Of course I'll be there, silly! I'd love to get to meet more people." the blunette said, flashing her friend a smile.

"That's what I love about you Marinette, you're always so kind and enthusiastic." Alya said before slipping into her room. Marinette did the same, walking into her own living space.

It felt a little stuffy, so she located the vent on the floor and opened it up. A soft wave of brass sound, from what she assumed was a trumpet, traveled up through the vent.

She knew that among the many recreational spaces on the second floor of the Cézanne Dormitory, there was a practice room for the musicians. She'd been told it was soundproof and seen it for herself as well, strolling past it plenty of times while others were in there and never hearing a peep.

Unfortunately, the vent still managed to carry the sound up into her room. Marinette didn't want to open her window to ventilate her room, as the chilly September winds were already picking up.

She assumed that it could be worse, since the people in the practice room were practically professional musicians.

It was kinda like having her own secret radio station.

As she listened to the blues music from the trumpet player below her, she fell in love with the little lilt. She bobbed her head back and forth to the beat while walking over to her closet and attempting to find the perfect pajama ensemble for the Cézanne Dormitory movie night that evening.

First impressions are everything, right?

━━━━━

Marinette knew exactly who Chloé Bourgeois was the moment she laid eyes on her. The blonde girl still managed to look rich while in her scantily-clad sleepwear, which was definitely some type of couture.

Seeing Chloé in her tiny shorts and top made the blunette wonder who's eye she was trying to catch.

The dorm was co-ed, so she'd assumed that there were some hook-ups going on late at night.She knew that staff came to patrol at a certain hour, but Rose informed her that they almost always fall asleep on the job.

When a bunch of hormonal seventeen-year-olds are crammed in a building together, can you blame them?

As Marinette's eyes scanned the room, they landed on the same boy from the day before.

Even though she saw him at the move-in, the idea of Adrien living in her building, nevertheless a mere two floors below her, made her nervous. It may have been the piercing color of his eyes, or the bright shine of his swooping hair, but something about him made her knees a little weaker.

It was then that Marinette realized who Chloé was wearing her little number for.

The rich girl scrambled over to Adrien, throwing her arms around him. He froze up, as if he wasn't used to close contact.

Marinette felt a dull pang in her chest.

"Oh, Adrikins!" Chloé said to an unresponsive Adrien, loud enough for the blunette to hear it across the room.

Marinette re-focused her attention to her three roommates next to her, flashing them a smile.

"You can talk to him if you want to, you know. However, the chances of you getting a word in with him when Chloé is around are low, and the chances of him responding if you do manage to talk to him are even lower. Alya wasn't kidding when she said he keeps to himself." Juleka said, seeing her new friend glancing at the boy.

The young girl turned a deep red, shooting a glare at Juleka.

"I wasn't staring." she insisted, rubbing the back of her neck.

Her friends giggled at her, which caused her to flush even more.

"I never said you were!" Juleka said between laughs.

A tall boy named Kim, whom Rose identified as a Ballet student, loudly whistled to gather everyone's attention. He introduced himself to all of the students in Cézanne Dormitory as one of the terminale Class Representatives, and the organizer of the movie event. He seemed to be a ray of sunshine and energy, and Marinette assumed that was the reason he was elected to class office.

Kim announced that he would be setting up _High School Musical 3: Senior Year_ as the movie of the night, seeing as it was appropriate for their current situation.

Everyone quickly began to find seats, either on the couches in the common area, sprawled out on beanbags, or on the floor on top of pillows or blankets that they brought to the event.

Alya shared a beanbag with whom she assumed was Nino, his arm lazily draped around her. Juleka and Rose were cuddled up on a couch together, and Marinette didn't want to get in the way of the 'will they, won't they' dynamic that Alya said the two have had going on for the past two years of lycée.

Out of options, Marinette found a spot on the end of a couch, an empty space next to her. Whoever sat there was sure to be a new friend! Hopefully someone who wasn't in any sort of relationship to ditch her for.

But soon, the movie started, and no one had filled the empty spot next to her.

Shit.

━━━━━

Twenty minutes into the film, Marinette was too busy wallowing in self pity to follow the plot. Her final year of school wasn't gearing up to be anything like that of the teens in this movie!

She couldn't even find a new person to sit next to. How embarassing.

While Marinette was busy throwing herself a silent pity party, the weight of a broad body sitting down next to her displaced the cushions on the couch, causing her head to snap toward the stranger who was now sat next to her.

As she looked into his green eyes, she wondered if sitting alone was really that bad.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting your film, but Chloé was talking my ear off, and I needed to get away," Adrien said quietly to the blunette. "I did need to ask you something though..." he said with a low chuckle.

"Did your parents ever teach you that it's rude to stare?" he quipped.

If it wasn't dead silent in the room, she would've screamed.

Marinette racked her brain with how to respond to such a statement. Should she be witty? Maybe funny? Why was she thinking so much? Did she truly care that much about Adrien's opinion of her?

"I could say the same to you." the blunette finally replied.

Adrien let out another soft chuckle, a noise Marinette knew she would never get sick of hearing.

"Touché," he said, turning his attention toward her completely to introduce himself properly. "Adrien Agreste." he stated, so stiff and robotic that it felt forced.

Marinette gave him a soft smile, and she swore that she could see some of his rigidness melt away instantly.

"Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Nice to officially meet you, Adrien Agreste."

"Likewise." Adrien mumbled, turning his focus back to the screen in front of them.

Just like that, he was done talking, and Marinette was sure that it wasn't because he was taking an extreme interest in the movie. Is this what her friends meant when they said that he keeps to himself?

Living like that seemed kind of lonely to Marinette. However, the whole reason he came to sit next to her in the first place was to avoid Chloé's talkative ways.

Instead of pushing him to carry a conversation with her, the young girl just relaxed back into the cushions, hoping Adrien would at least follow suit and stop sitting as though he took daily posture and etiquete lessons as a child.

Then, it occurred to the girl that he probably had.

Nevertheless, something about Marinette relaxing allowed Adrien to take his guard down just a little, leaning back into the couch cushions.

Marinette heard an audible sigh come from his lips, as if he'd been too tense for some time now.

They sat in silence, but both of the adolescents could feel the ethereal and warm presence of the other next to them.

While neither could explain their sweaty palms or quickened heartbeats, they knew that simply being in a close proximity to each other gave them an extraordinary rush they both wanted to feel again and again.

━━━━━

After a quick goodbye to Adrien once the movie was over, the girls of Quad 13 introduced Marinette to a few more students before heading to their room.

After all, they had a full schedule for the next day.

Alya, Juleka, and Rose were all far too exhausted to interrogate the new girl about her rendezvous with the famous blonde boy, leaving it to be discussed over breakfast the next morning.

As opposed to her snoozing friends, Marinette laid in her bed, completely restless. She'd had issues with falling asleep ever since she became Ladybug, always nervous about an akuma attack coming.

Yet again, her room began to feel stuffy, so she begrudgingly got up and opened the vent in the floor. Surely, no one would be practicing this late at night. The practice room had a sign-up sheet, and the slots only went as late as nine o'clock at night.

Obviously, the non-existent two o’clock in the morning slot was filled by whoever was lilting on the grand piano in the room below her.

Marinette listened to the tune, knowing she recognized the song from somewhere. It was most definitely a classic, but she was struggling to put a name to the hauntingly beautiful piece.

Sabine had attempted to make her daughter a virtuoso in her youth, but Marinette had grown bored of the lessons by the time she was twelve, begging her mother to quit. As she heard the lovely music below her, she almost wished that her mother forced her to continue studying the instrument.

While racking her brain for any leftover piano knowledge from her previous years of practice, the title of the piece finally popped into her head.

"Clair de Lune." she whispered, to no one but herself.

She slinked over to her bed, letting the gorgeous music fill her room. She assumed that the piano was right next to the vent downstairs in the practice room, because she heard this music much clearer than that from the trumpet earlier.

She slipped under the covers and closed her eyes, the gorgeous tune lulling her to sleep.

One day, she had to find who was playing at this hour and thank them for the personal concert.

She was sure that their skills could rival any other pianist here, even the mythical Adrien Agreste.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Kudos and comments about anything and everything are always appreciated!


	4. The Very First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cracks begin to form in Adrien’s perfect façade. Marinette takes on her new school.

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**SARTRE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY**

Marinette strolled into class that Monday morning with Juleka, Alya, and Rose by her side. She felt the most energized she had in weeks, all thanks to her mysterious pianist's lullaby.

Others, however, didn't look as well rested.

Others, meaning one Adrien Agreste.

It seemed as though having to get up early for school wasn't his thing, as the blunette could see the slightly pronounced bags already forming under his eyes after one restless night.

Strangely, Marinette thought the sleep deprived look was a good one for Adrien. The dark circles beneath his eyes made those piercing green eyes stood out even more so than usual.

The blunette quickly found a desk in the classroom behind Rose. Juleka and Alya sat on both sides of her, as to protect her. Unfortunately, the free desk behind her was soon filled by Chloé Bourgeois herself, with her dutiful lackey Sabrina occupying the one on her boss' right.

Chloé set down her Birkin bag aggressively on the desk before strolling over to Marinette, standing over the blunette as she cowered in her seat.

"Hi, Dupain-Cheng, is it?" Chloé asked in a biting tone. "I saw you at that quaint little gathering last night and never got to introduce myself. However, I did notice that you got _super_ friendly with my Adrikins." she hissed, nodding her head back to gesture at Adrien, who seemed to be half awake as is.

"He's a shy boy, never had many friends. I'd advise you to stay away. You wouldn't want to make him feel uncomfortable, right?" Chloé said, raising her eyebrows, as if she was searching for a response to her clearly rhetorical question.

"Yeah, but you see, he-" Marinette started before being cut off by the blonde.

"Okay, I'm so glad we're on the same page! I've heard you're a fashion student, so I'll probably see you later today too! _Bisous_!"

The entitled girl was so sickly sweet, the blunette would've preferred if she was just a transparent mean girl. Instead, Mlle. Bourgeois masked her meanness with a thick coat of sugar, almost like spritzing perfume under your armpits halfway through the day after you forgot to put on deodorant.

It doesn't get rid of the stench, it just makes it take a new form of heinous.

Of course, Marinette wouldn't make a point to provoke the head bitch in charge (HBIC, if you're feeling nasty) on her very first day, so she cooperated.

As the time on the clock at the front of the classroom neared closer to nine, more students rolled in. Some faces were familiar from her dorm, like a girl named Alix and a guy named Ivan that she had met briefly the night before, but some students were total strangers to the girl.

Nino strolled in about two minutes before the bell rang, in what she already knew was true Nino fashion. He swung by Alya's desk to plant a fat kiss on her cheek before sitting at the empty desk on Adrien's left. She observed as Adrien gave a small wave to Nino, who was sure to embarrass him by giving him a grandiose greeting in return.

This shy, quiet, Adrien was nothing like the Adrien who talked to her last night. Sure, he may have been uptight no matter what, but the Adrien from last night was teasing Marinette, even laughing a little!

The sound of Adrien's chuckle filled her mind like a symphony, her face turning red at the memory of his throaty laugh.

The Adrien from last night bared a striking resemblance to a certain suave cat she knew. However, if Chat had Adrien's skill of knowing when to be quiet, maybe Ladybug wouldn't constantly turn down his requests to go on a date.

It wasn't that she didn't like Chat. Quite the opposite, actually. She always enjoyed the time they spent together, but that was all work. She didn't want to jeopardize their fighting chemistry with each other by getting their emotional chemistry involved.

Although the cat-boy was very obviously smoking hot, so much so that he himself knew it, she always told herself that the people of Paris are far too important for her to hook up with her teammate.

Marinette was pulled out of her thoughts when the school bell rang, a young woman with red hair promptly walking through the door. A young man—who couldn't have been much older than the students himself—in a trendy outfit followed closely behind. He had a head full of thick black hair with the ends dyed a slightly faded shade of aqua blue.

Was it hot in there? Marinette sure thought so. She felt herself sweating as her eyes followed the boy. She could tell that he was maybe an inch or two taller than Adrien, and the blonde was already taller than his giant of a father.

"Hello everybody! I am Mme. Bustier, and although I may not be as artistically gifted as all of you are, I am sure gifted in the fields of World History and French Literature, which I am happily teaching you this morning!" She enthused. The blunette admired her teacher for managing to be so upbeat this early in the morning.

"This is my good friend Luka, I know many of you may recognize him." Mme. Bustier gestured over to the edgy-looking boy, who flashed everyone a smile. "He has so graciously decided to hold off his _université_ education for a year and come back to Lycée Fauré to help us out!"

How gracious indeed.

Marinette swore that she felt drool running down her chin as she stared at the boy. Although the emo type had never really been for her, she had to admit that he was a looker.

"I did all of this last year, I totally know your pain. _Terminale_ is tough, so if you need any guidance, I'm your guy." Luka said with a slight nod.

It sure didn't help that his voice was smooth as butter. She now got why Alya teased Juleka about her brother being cute. It was obvious that Luka was a hot commodity in the school, just by the way every girl in the room hung on to everything he said. However, all things considered, a guy like that is most likely not looking to get with a girl who hasn't finished Lycée.

Marinette opened her notebook and grabbed a pen to take notes as Mme. Bustier began to speak on the Bronze Age.

━━━━━━

After an hour of World History and an hour of French literature, it was time to break for lunch.

Marinette stood up and stretched her arms as she walked up to her friends, assessing the dining situation.

"What're we thinking, ladies?" Marinette asked her roommates.

"Well, I'm gonna go with Nino and Adrien. We always do Monday lunch together. You can tag along, if you'd like?" Alya proposed.

Marinette weighed the options in her head. Sure, she could go with the three of them. But, who's to say it wouldn't be awkward with Adrien after last night's events? Additionally, who's to say that Chloé wouldn't track her down like a bloodhound and bite her head off for getting anywhere near Adrien after her warning?

The downside of being a thinker is simultaneously being an overthinker.

Deciding to take a walk on the wild side, Marinette found her answer.

"Yeah, I'll go with you guys. It should be fun!" she enthused.

"Awesome, girl! Let's head out, we need all the time we can get with those two." Alya said, nodding over to the two boys. Marinette let out a weak laugh.

Alya sauntered over to Nino, the blunette following closely at her side. "Shall we?" the auburn-haired girl asked her dearest boyfriend.

"We shall, Milady." he responded jokingly.

Both Marinette and Adrien tensed at the use of the nickname.

Marinette simply told herself that the romantic crap made the blonde uncomfortable, and that was the only reason that the use of the nickname gave him the same reaction as it did to her.

Adrien couldn't be Chat Noir anyway. Chat Noir had the manners of a caveman, while Adrien had been raised to fit a perfect mold his entire life. The two couldn't be any more different.

━━━━━━

The group of four decided to dine at a café near the school, one that many students had been frequent customers of.

It was a nice day outside, and the four decided to take the outdoor seating. Marinette had always loved the unique seating in Paris, it was so different than the restaurants where she lived. All things considered, kids in the suburbs didn't do a lot of the stuff Parisian kids did.

"Are any of you from here?" Marinette asked, looking around and taking in her surroundings.

Although she'd been to Paris countless times for tourism purposes, she'd never been there for more than a day trip. Her family hardly ever stopped for a good meal in the city unless they had reservations for a special occasion. She never truly got to see the city like this, through a casual lens.

Even at seventeen, her parents were still reluctant to let her take the metro in by herself. The first time she had gone into Paris without her parents was the day of that Jagged Stone concert that she attended with a group of friends.

The day she got Tikki, marking her start as Ladybug.

"No way. I'm from Lille, and Nino basically lives in Spain he's so southern." Alya said with a pout, silently complaining about how far she is from her lover when school isn't in session. "It's complicated with you though, Adrien." she added, turning her head to the boy who was seated next to Nino.

"That's an understatement." The blonde managed out. That was it from him.

Marinette knew that Gabriel Agreste was Parisian, but she did assume that with his father traveling to and fro for runways and consultations all the time, Adrien himself hardly lived here.

She assumed that the Agrestes most likely had other homes in primary fashion locations such as Milan, New York, and London, with Adrian spending his off time from Lycée Fauré at any given one of them.

She could get why he didn't have many friends, and why it was hard for him to speak with those he wasn't comfortable with. Surely he didn't act so closed off around Nino, who appeared to be his closest (and only) confidant.

"Yeah, I live pretty close, honestly. Even though I'm from the _banlieues_ , Sèvres more specifically, Paris feels like a whole different country in comparison." Marinette said, a big smile across her face.

Although Marinette would scold herself for not noticing, Adrien perked up a little when the blunette admitted to being from the suburbs.

Just like his lady.

"I'd love to live where it's a little more quiet. When you're in a room with Nino the DJ every night, things can get a little too loud." the blonde grumbled at his friend pointedly.

Nino lifted his hands up, as if to surrender to the threatening blonde. "Hey, I just get in my zone sometimes! I'm sure that if there were a set of keys in your room, you would be playing until the wee hours of the morning too."

"Nino, I do have a 'set of keys' in my room. It's called my keybord. Dipshit." Adrien scoffed, giving his good friend a slight shove.

Marinette laughed at the blonde's remark as Alya glared at him for daring to insult her beloved. Nino just stared at Adrien, mouth agape. He'd normally never say anything like that in front of Alya, nevertheless in front of someone who was a complete stranger to him like Marinette.

If he was being honest with himself, the prim and proper boy just wanted to hear Marinette laugh.

He liked to see her happy, although he couldn't explain quite why. He never felt drawn to people in the way he felt drawn to her, like some sort of 'friend crush'.

In that moment, all Adrien wanted to do was remind Marinette for one moment that a different version of him laid behind that perfect façade.

That was the Adrien he wanted her to know. Unfortunately, as the saying goes, you can't always get what you want.

━━━━━━

Eventually, the group had arrived back in the education building of Lycée Fauré, with Marinette and Adrien both walking right past Mme. Bustier's classroom on their way to math.

It was as if the universe was pointing at her and laughing, playing a cruel joke.

First lunch with him, now he's a math whiz as well?

Marinette, in her true micro-managing fashion, saw Adrien as a puzzle to figure out. A problem to solve.

Although she didn't want to think like this—obviously knowing that Adrien, as a human, is much more complex than a jigsaw puzzle—her twisted brain forced it.

Spending so much time trying to figure the blonde out was already giving her a headache, and she was unsure if adding a math lesson on top of that was a good idea.

"You're heading to advanced math as well?" Adrien asked formally, getting Marinette's attention.

"Yeah." she gave in response.

It only made sense that Adrien was bounds ahead of the other students in his studies. His family had connections, and those with connections always got the best schooling.

Although he may be naturally brilliant in some respects, his wealth most likely helped him achieve his status as an academic.

"At this rate, I might have to take out a restraining order against you if we 'coincidentally' spend anymore time together." Adrien joked, giving Marinette a smile before picking up his pace to walk in front of her.

There it was again! That sneaky insert of a real personality. The fake and manufactured Adrien was gone for just a split second, almost as if he let loose, and then remembered he still had a role to play.

After a few seconds, the boy turned and entered a room, and Marinette followed after.

A student named Max, who was known for excellent music and technology production, was already seated in the room.

Kim also joined them there, which surprised her more than anything. Who knew ballet boys had time for math after taking care of all of the sores on their feet?

Marinette turned to the front of the small classroom to take her seat before nearly doing a double take at the sight of Luka sitting behind the teacher's desk. She slowly sat down, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Alright, I think this is everyone." Luka said, scanning the room. "Mme. Robert is currently running a bit late, so I will be introducing your syllabus. I met all of you earlier, so it's nice to see some familiar faces." he added, sending a smile in Marinette's direction.

Was that cheeky grin of his for her?

While Marinette felt her face heat up, Adrien felt a new emotion that he couldn't quite put a name to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! A special thank you goes out to all of you wonderful viewers that got me over 200 hits on only three chapters! You all amaze me so much, thank you for pushing me to do my best work <3 Kudos and comments are always appreciated! Have a great day!


	5. Evening Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette is quite literally wined and dined by Luka, and a certain black cat swings by the young girl’s balcony afterwards.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You’re welcome in advance, fellow marichat shippers ;)

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**SARTRE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY**

Once Mme. Robert stepped into the classroom, Marinette was already done for.

To put it in arithmetic terms, Luka flirting plus Adrien's daddy issues resulted in a preoccupied Marinette.

As if it was a gift from the heavens, the period passed quite quickly. Mme. Robert gave the students a pre-test to gauge their skill level and personalize their experience in the course. It was a four person class, after all.

Marinette whizzed through it, occasionally skipping a question because she couldn't emotionally handle it at that moment. Her brain power was now on the fritz, and it wasn't a feeling that she liked.

Without her intelligence, she felt powerless. She prided herself on never coming off as naive or stupid, and the fact that boys were the reason for her flustered attitude ticked her off even more.

Soon after the bell rang, Luka strolled up to Marinette's desk. The young girl packed her bag, glancing up at the boy who towered over her.

"Hey, Dupain-Cheng. Will I be seeing you later in music composition, by any chance?" he asked casually.

The boy didn't even introduce himself. Marinette already knew his name, of course, but she still would've appreciated a proper greeting from him.

"No, I'm in fashion. Why?" Marinette asked, trying to sound disinterested. On the inside, she scolded herself.

Why was she giving him such mixed signals right off the bat? She had very obviously flushed when he offered her a smile earlier, but now she had the audacity to be short with him? While she reminded herself that this man was pretty much a complete stranger, she still felt bad for acting so hot and cold.

One of Marinette's fatal flaws was that she couldn't say no to anyone or anything. Sure, it allowed her to do a lot of good in her community, but it also allowed others to use her very easily.

She was hoping that no one at Lycée Fauré would ask too much of her, abusing her kindness.

"Oh, I was just wondering if I was going to be seeing more of you. Since I guess I won't be," Luka started, pushing his shaggy hair back nervously, "would you like to see me later? For dinner, maybe?"

 _What the fuck?_

That was the only thing that crossed Marinette's mind. This guy had talked to her for maybe half a minute, and he was already asking her out?

Was she omitting some pheromone?

The girl felt the room empty out as Mme. Robert gathered her things and exited, a flustered Adrien following close behind the teacher. Max and Kim were already long gone as well.

 _Shit_.

_Now they were alone together?_

"Oh, it wouldn't be a date or anything!" Luka added quickly after an uncomfortable period of silence. "I know you're a newbie around here, and things can get intense. As someone who survived all of this, I just want to give you the best advice I can."

Marinette smiled up at the tall boy, deciding whether or not to believe that his intentions were pure. Juleka hadn't spoke poorly of her brother to Marinette, but they'd also met about three days ago.

Unfortunately, Marinette didn't really have a choice to make, as her fatal flaw reared its ugly head.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I definitely feel a tad behind the curve." the young girl said with a slight laugh.

Luka grinned, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Nice! I'll meet you outside of Cézanne at seven. We can just go get some drinks, if you'd like?"

This was the thing about Parisian kids; they love to drink.

According to French law, since she had just celebrated her eighteenth birthday the week before arriving at school, it was perfectly fine for Marinette to grab a drink with Luka. Even underage kids often drank wine at the cafés in Paris during their breaks from school.

Parisian kids were weird.

Although she didn't really want to get drinks, as she had school the next day, Marinette still couldn't say no.

"Yeah, a drink or two would be fine!" she hesitantly agreed. No matter how hesitant it was, the agreement still pleased Luka, a smile gracing his face.

"See you later then, Dupain-Cheng." the boy said, shooting her a wink before turning around and exiting the room.

_What the hell just happened?_

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

After the drama in her Calculus course, Marinette whizzed through her fashion courses in the afternoon, all of them being very introductory.

If anything notable happened, she wouldn't have realized anyway.

After classes were let out for the day, she immediately power walked from the fashion design building—Gautier Hall—down three city blocks, up three flights of stairs, and through one door, to the common room of Quad 13.

The other three girls were already back from their respective courses, sitting on the couch. The movie _Twilight_ was on the screen of the TV that Rose so graciously brought with her, the girls ver obviously hate watching it.

"Hey, girl! Come watch with us! This movie is a hoot." Alya joked, scooting over on the couch and making room for Marinette.

"Um, Juleka?" the blunette asked, her palms sweaty.

The girl with dyed hair turned to her, picking her head up attentively. "Yeah?"

"Your brother, he... I mean, he said it wasn't a date, but he asked me to go out tonight. Is that weird? Should I be worried?" Marinette said rather quickly. She closed her eyes and winced, as if she was expecting a heated response.

"I don't have a clue. He's a weirdo in general, but he'd never hurt a fly. Go out with him, but be sure to report back." Juleka said with a wink.

Gosh, her and Luka were so different yet _so_ similar.

Marinette smiled back at Juleka and walked toward her room, opening the door before turning around to address her friends for the final time that night.

"Well, as much as I would love to watch Edward and Bella's _epic_ love story, I have a not date to get ready for."

Although classes ended at four and Marinette's 'not date' wasn't scheduled to start until seven, the blunette was known for performing an entire world tour in the shower with _at least_ seven encores. Not willing to cut back her show, she needed all the time she could get.

By six-thirty, the young girl was all dressed and ready to go. She wore a black jumpsuit with a form fitting top and loose legs, as if to channel her 'Lady Noir' persona.

Marinette had to use her partner's miraculous in one of their battles a few weeks ago, and Plagg—Chat Noir's kwami—came with an attractive suit. Although she loved Tikki, who was now spending her days chilling out and enjoying the music that came from Marinette's vent, the black cat miraculous had some _je ne sais quoi._

Something about stepping into Chat's swift and suave shoes made her feel like some _'cat_ sanova,' as Chat would say. She braided her hair for good measure, entirely embodying the maneater mentality of Lady Noir.

She wasn't intending to eat Luka up, but she felt the need to prove to Luka that she was mature for her age. Nothing makes you grow up faster than having to protect a major metropolis from evil.

Marinette strolled out of her dorm building promptly at seven o'clock, Luka already leaning against the exterior of the building in wait for her.

"Hey, Marinette. These few hours without your presence have been _nothing_ but painful." Luka joked, hugging her as he greeted her.

She let out a soft laugh. "What, you're not calling me Dupain-Cheng anymore?" she questioned, smiling up at the boy as he released her from his embrace.

He took his lip ring between his teeth, that being the first time that Marinette noticed the silver hoop.

_Who was this guy?_

"I thought you might like Marinette better. Unless you prefer Dupain-Cheng, Mlle...?" he asked, holding a hand out for the young girl. She hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted it, allowing him to lead her down the sidewalk.

"No, I like Marinette just fine. My friends call me Mari sometimes, but you're not a friend just yet." the girl joked, strolling along next to the boy on the pavement.

The sun was nearly completely set over Paris, a beautiful orange glow surrounding the two.

It was odd how quickly Marinette had grown to feel comfortable around Luka. Just an hour ago, she felt it was weird that he had asked her out so soon after meeting. However, Luka was one of those people with a presence that exuded nothing but positive energy.

She was content to just be with him, and the fact that he was almost a year older than her felt comforting. He knew things that she didn't, especially about her new home at Lycée Fauré.

She needed the guidance, and he was happy to advise her.

After all, wasn't that what the night was entirely about for the two of them?

As Luka and Marinette strolled through the Trocadéro on their way to one of Luka's favorite cafés in the city, a black cat just so happened to be sitting on top of one of the structures while on duty.

Although he tried to will himself to look away, Chat continued to stare at the two, feeling that indescribable grossness inside his chest for the second time that day.

━━━━━

Marinette stood on the balcony of Quad 13, leaning against the railing as she admired the full moon above her.

Overall, Marinette had a good time with Luka that night. To her surprise, he kept things entirely friendly, for the most part. There was the occasional flirty moment, but the more that the young girl talked to him, the more she was convinced that Luka was just a naturally flirty person.

He did impart a lot of wisdom on her as far as the social and academic world of Lycée Fauré. He apologized for not being able to help her navigate the fashion side of the school, as he never really had any friends in the design program.

Luka taught Marinette how to sneak out of the dorms at night and told her all the best places to head off to with her roommates. He told her that Quad 13, her room, was seemingly the easiest to sneak out of, because the stairs were right next to their door.

Luka was a gentleman and walked Marinette all the way back to her easily escapable room before giving her a light kiss on the cheek and bidding her adieu when their night out was over.

Although it was only ten o'clock, the Cézanne Dormitory curfew just hitting, all three of Marinette's roommates were already passed out on the couch. Netflix's 'are you still watching?' screen was displayed in front of them, the only thing illuminating the dark room beside the moonlight.

After turning the TV off, Marinette grabbed a throw blanket from the couch and stepped out onto the balcony, knowing she wasn't quite ready to head to sleep.

Although they went out with the intention of drinking, Marinette was glad that she really only had one small glass of wine. It was enough to make her a little giddy, but Luka's version of drinks was definitely not what she thought it would be.

Just as Marinette was starting to get lost in thought, a voice spoke from behind her.

"Hey, _purr_ incess. All alone in your ivory tower on this gorgeous night?" a husky voice asked. Marinette didn't need to turn around to know who it was, but she did anyway.

She'd never interacted with Chat in her civilian form before. What was she meant to do?

"Chat Noir?"

"The one and only."

Chat dismounted from the roof of the Cézanne dormitory and landed on the railing next to the blunette. He sat on it and hung his legs over the edge, looking up at the moon like the young girl next to him.

"Would you like some company? Generally, the only people that stare at the moon alone are a bit melancholy." the boy said, tearing his eyes from the planet in the sky to look at the girl next to him, her outfit eliciting a smirk.

"Is this some Lady Noir cosplay going on? Just for me? I love to meet my fans." Chat said with a shit-eating grin.

Marinette, unphased, shoved his side. "No, Chat. Just a coincidence." she grumbled.

"Well, I like it." he said softly.

Marinette couldn't help but blush a little.

The two stayed silent for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company. Marinette had never seen this chilled out side of her partner. He was much easier to be around when he wasn't so incessantly flirting with her.

Interacting with this subdued version of Chat almost made her reciprocate the romantic feelings that he had for her, as opposed to the solely lustful ones she had for him.

"So, you're on Monday night patrol? That has to suck." Marinette said, breaking their comfortable silence.

"Yeah, but the city is generally quiet by now. Only tourists are still out, everyone who lives here has work or school tomorrow morning. Also, Hawk Moth is an old man, so I doubt there's ever gonna be an akuma attack this late. After all, his bedtime is probably around six." Chat said with a dry chuckle.

Marinette giggled at Chat's remark. She swore that she saw a twinge of red on his cheeks that was hidden by his mask, but illuminated by the moonlight.

"You have a really nice laugh, you know." he whispered, closing his eyes and leaning his head back, as if to relax further.

"Thank you." she replied quickly in the same hushed tone.

Chat put his hand on the railing next to Marinette, and she couldn't decide if it was done purposefully or on accident.

She took a deep breath and placed her hand on top of his, just noticing how long and dexterous his fingers were and how massive his hands were.

_Stop thinking about his hands, stop thinking about his hands, stop thinking about-_

The two jumped apart as an akuma alert sounded from Chat's staff. He rolled his eyes, getting off of the railing and standing back on the balcony. He faced Marinette, taking both of her hands in his.

"I'm so sorry to cut our rendezvous short, _purr_ incess. Unfortunately, the old geezer has decided that it was worth losing some of his much needed sleep to akumatize someone. Go inside and stay safe for me, yeah?" he said in his usual sly tone. "I would hate for our first meeting to be our last."

With that, he took his staff and quickly vaulted off the balcony in the direction of the brewing danger.

After waiting a minute or two—both to cool herself down and allow Chat to get a sizable lead—and peeking inside the common room to confirm that her roommates were still asleep, Marinette transformed and followed after her teammate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and thank you for all of the love! Comments and kudos are always appreciated! If you love what I’m doing, if you hate what I’m doing, feel free to tell me! I hope you all have an amazing day <3


	6. Asshole Agreste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unbeknownst to Adrien, a certain boy with dyed hair isn’t pleased by his past actions.

**PARIS, FRANCE**

**MONTPARNASSE TOWER**

"Bye-bye, little butterfly." Ladybug said, using her yo-yo to transform the creature back to its initial pure-white state.

"Pound it!" said both her and Chat Noir, colliding their knuckles and exploding their hands backward.

"Excellent job tonight, Milady." Chat enthused, hugging his partner tight.

Despite the feelings of her partner, the fight had not been that excellent for Ladybug.

Although externally, she was on her A-game, internally, she was replaying the event that took place on her balcony moments before the battle. The blunette found herself paying more attention to Chat, and she didn't like it.

Her disdain for this new awareness of Chat wasn't only because she wanted to avoid developing deeper feelings for him. Moreover, it was because she never realized how much she brushed him off to work independently in the past.

She'd wondered if Chat noticed how she often simply ordered him around during battles in their first few months.

"Thank you, _mon chaton_." Ladybug replied, smiling up at her partner once he released her.

"So, you never told me how you got to Paris all of a sudden." Chat enquired, looking at his teammate quizzically.

Obviously, Ladybug couldn't tell him the truth about her relocation. Racking her brain, she decided to take a quote from Tikki.

"I always figure something out, don't I? The distance was an obstacle, so I got rid of it. How I did it, however, doesn't really matter." she said, shrugging her shoulders to downplay the situation and hopefully change the topic of conversation.

She had only used her Lucky Charm about two minutes ago, and Chat would never stop talking her ear off until she had less than a minute left. It was endearing that he enjoyed spending time with her, but annoying that he was chatting her up after a battle this late at night.

This behavior has always made her believe that either Chat was incredibly lonely in his civilian life, or was always talkative and flirtatious, whether in or out of uniform.

"You're really not gonna share with me? Totally rude, Ladybug." he said with a roll of his eyes. "I guess if you're not sleeping on the streets, I shouldn't worry."

She let out a small laugh, causing Chat to stiffen up for a split second.

"Yes, I'm not on the streets. I actually like it a lot here, for the most part. Plus, I'm closer to my greatest friend and ally." Ladybug said with a smile.

It wasn't hard for the blunette to see the deep blush creep onto Chat's face.

"You mean the world to me, Milady. Just knowing that you're closer helps me relax a little." Chat said, softening up a little. Ladybug wished that he would show this side of himself more often. "And Lord knows I need that."

Ladybug scoffed. "That's weird, I've always seen you as the most laid back person in the world."

Chat smiled softly, leaning over to whisper in Ladybug's ear. "There's a lot you don't know about me, _ma coccinelle_." he drawled, causing the girl in question to become slightly flustered.

As if she was saved by the bell, their miraculous chimed, indicating that they had very little time before they switched back.

Ladybug backed away from her partner and waved to say goodbye, as she was sure she couldn't get the words out without stammering. She quickly threw out her yo-yo and swung off the tower, leaving her kitty behind in order to de-transform in a nearby alley.

Tikki emerged from the young girl's earrings, arms crossed over her chest. "He's getting more and more flirtatious everyday, Marinette. Sometime, you're going to have to sit down and talk about your feelings!"

"I know, Tikki. That's what I'm afraid of."

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

It was yet another sleepless night in Quad 13 for Marinette Dupain-Cheng. However, this time, it wasn't the leftover adrenaline from a battle or the fear of an akuma attack keeping her up, but the words of her kwami who was sleeping quite peacefully on her dresser.

Having the 'feelings' talk with Chat was not a conversation that she wanted to engage in. Not only did she not reciprocate the feelings that he had for her, but truth be told, she couldn't pin down how she felt about him.

He was plenty attractive, but she also wasn't entirely herself as Ladybug. How could he possibly like her if he hasn't seen the girl behind the mask? Additionally, how could any romantic relationship between them possibly work without Paris falling to ruins?

She knew that her feelings for him were ultimately shut down by the idea of not knowing who he really is. Surely the Chat persona is a façade. No teenage boy strolls around all day making cat puns, that's for sure.

Marinette sat up and peered over at the closed vent on the floor of her room. She doubted that anyone would be down there again, but it was worth a try. After all, something about the live and organic music soothed her like no audio recording could.

She trudged out of her bed, kneeling down on the floor to open up the vent. Sound quickly came pouring out, and Marinette quickly identified the tune this time.

"This kid must really love their _Clair de Lune_." she mumbled under her breath, the familiar lilt playing beneath her for the second time that week.

Although it was likely that this was a different pianist than the first night, Marinette somehow recognized the intention and personality of the music.

She somehow knew in her bones that it was the same pianist. Although she desperately wanted to rush downstairs and thank her mysterious musician for lulling her to sleep, the blunette was already feeling her eyelids grow heavy from the hypnotizing music.

She got up off the floor and rolled back into bed, getting comfortable under the covers before dozing off.

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**SARTRE EDUCATIONAL FACILITY**

Marinette walked into Mme. Bustier's class, all of her friends already seated.

She had skipped breakfast that day, opting to eat an apple and some yogurt that she had put in the communal Quad 13 mini-fridge on move in day. Not only did she want a little alone time, just for that hour, but she also wanted to sleep in a tad more after the late night akuma attack.

As an only child, it was difficult for Marinette to adjust to living with other kids. If she had the opportunity to get some time alone with Tikki by her side, she would gladly take it.

Marinette sat in her seat by Rose, Juleka, and Alya, looking around the room to observe everyone.

Once they reached him, her eyes remained stuck on Adrien. The blonde was fully decked-out in a tuxedo, his hair neatly gelled in place. It was a nice contrast against his usual disheveled—yet put together—look.

"Get a load of that, right?" Alya commented, looking in the same direction as Marinette. "I didn't ask about it yet, I'm waiting for him to say something. Usually when he's dressed up like that, his father pulls him early for an event." the auburn-haired girl said in a hushed tone.

Soon, Mme. Bustier walked through the door to begin lessons for the day. "Hello, class!" she started, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on Adrien and then widened, as if she forgot something. "Oh! It almost slipped my mind! You should all make sure you wish Adrien the best of luck before his performance at the _Philharmonie de Paris_ tonight! He will be leaving us soon to prepare, so let's all congratulate him now."

An applause broke out for Adrien in the classroom, but he seemed unphased for the most part. He accepted the applause graciously, thanking everyone once the room had gone silent.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for," Mme. Bustier said, walking behind her desk, "get out your textbooks and turn to page 76."

Many students in the classroom groaned in response, eliciting a light laugh from the teacher.

Marinette, however, was lost in the idea of Adrien. She knew he was a prodigy, but playing at the _Philharmonie_ was an amazing feat. Classical musicians will spend their entire careers trying to book a concert there or play with the city orchestra. The fact that he was playing there as a teenager blew her mind.

The blunette carefully shifted her vision to land on the blonde boy. More specifically, his hands.

They bared resemblance to those of the black cat she knew, but Adrien's fingers had to be longer. It was as though he was genetically engineered to play piano, with those soft hands and long dexterous fingers.

She drew her vision up his torso, landing on his hair. Even from the angle that she was at, she could see one hair that fell out of place, like Clark Kent. It suited him.

After thinking of his resemblance to Superman's civilian form, Marinette's mind wandered. She couldn't imagine Adrien as a superhero, the thought made her want to giggle.

He was definitely no Clark Kent, and for sure no Superman.

━━━━━

By the time Marinette's lunch break came, Adrien was already long gone. Lunch with her roommates—plus an out of place Nino—proved to be enjoyable, but math without Adrien felt empty.

Maybe that's because there were only five people in the room now, including Luka and Mme. Robert.

Mme. Robert handed back their pre-assessments from the prior class, along with the work they were expected to do that day. Marinette was surprised that she scored as high as she did, considering how flustered she was last class.

She noticed a figure with faded blue hair in her peripheral vision, him sitting down on her left in Adrien's usual spot.

"Hey, Marinette. You mind if I help you today? There's a reason that I assist in this class and not pre-calculus." Luka said with a chuckle.

Although the fact that Luka was a math whiz shocked Marinette, she knew that it made sense for musicians to be good at math, as well as dancers to a certain extent. They constantly count beats, read music, and follow time signatures. Although it's basic, all of that is a lot like math.

"Yeah, that's alright. I don't know if I need much help though." Marinette responded, flipping through the notes and worksheets she was expected to fill out and looking at the corresponding pages in the textbook.

Luka slid closer to Marinette to peer over her shoulder, causing Marinette to tense up a bit.

"Do you know where Agreste went?" the older boy asked, in more of a hushed tone. He probably wanted to keep their conversation private from Mme. Robert—who was busy grading other assignments—and Max and Kim, who were messing around on their own.

Obviously, Luka wasn't in Mme. Bustiers’ classroom at the start of the day for her Adrien praise session.

"He's playing at the _Philharmonie_ tonight. I assume that he had to leave early to get settled and do technical runs." Marinette explained, beginning to fill out her math worksheets.

"Of course he is." Luka scoffed.

His attitude caused Marinette to be slightly taken aback. She'd always seen Luka as a terminally sweet guy, but at that moment, he was practically seething.

"Did something happen between you two?" Marinette asked, taking her eyes off of her work to look over at Luka. "You don't seem too happy for him."

"Is it that obvious?" Luka asked, letting out a throaty chuckle. "The disdain is mostly on my end. I don't think mister _Asshole Agreste_ cares much." he mumbled.

"Care to share what happened?" the blunette inquired. She loved to be in the know, and not knowing much about Adrien killed her.

"Ah, there was just this apprenticeship program at the _Philharmonie_ this summer that was really important to me. It was paid too, would've gotten me the extra money I needed to go to Berklee in Boston this year, and a huge résumé boost as well." Luka started, obviously channeling his calm side. He toyed with his lip ring between his teeth before continuing.

"They were only taking one student from Lycée Fauré, and I thought I was a lock for it. Then, a few days before the deadline, Agreste decided it was something he wanted to do." the boy exhaled deeply, running a hand through his shaggy hair.

"Either way, turns out the kid doesn't only play, but composes music too. Obviously, you can see where this is going..." the young boy trailed off.

"He got it?" Marinette asked.

Luka confirmed Marinette’s suspicions with a curt nod.

The blunette instantly felt bad for him. Clearly, he did have a valid reason to be upset with Adrien. Sure, the application may have been open to anyone, but why would Adrien need any more experience? He already has the most exposure out of every kid at lycée.

"I still don't get why he decided to apply on a whim. He didn't need the money, and he travels with his father for events every summer. He could've been in Dubai, Milan, New York City... Why on Earth did he want to stay here?" Luka asked, as if he was talking to Adrien and searching for answers.

"As they say on Sesame Street, asking questions is a good way to find things out." Marinette said, attempting to lighten the mood. She was successful, as a small smile graced Luka's distraught face.

"I don't want to be confrontational, especially now, with my position here and all," Luka started, shifting in his seat, "it feels inappropriate to pick a fight with someone I'm meant to be mentoring."

Marinette shrugged, getting back to her work. "To me, it's not picking a fight unless you make it that. I'm sure you can casually ask him what his motivation was."

She hoped that she wasn't instigating anything, but she did want Luka to let go of this disdain for Adrien, especially if the two of them were going to be in this room together for the rest of the year.

Adrien was most likely accustomed to always getting what he wanted, and didn't understand that working hard for nothing can feel like a slap in the face.

"Juleka told me what she heard from him, that he just didn't want to leave Paris for some inexplicable reason. He claimed that it was personal, and Jul said he wouldn't go into detail about it. I'm sure that if he didn't tell her more than that, he won't give me much of an explanation either." Luka said with a shrug.

"Well then, let's move on. I'd rather do math than talk about this sad stuff, and that's saying something." Marinette said with a small laugh.

The blunette felt Luka sit up straight beside her, looking down at the work ahead of them.

━━━━━

Fashion courses with Chloé and Sabrina were... interesting to say the least.

The assignment of the day was to design and create a simple and flattering dress in the three hours of class time that they had.

Marinette was already busy picking out fabric and cutting it, along with most of the other students in class, while a flustered Chloé and Sabrina were still attempting to come up with original designs.

Marinette sat down at a sewing machine and began to mend her deep red fabric pieces together, making a high-neck bodycon dress to fit her selected mannequin.

She felt that it looked a little plain, but had no clue how to spice it up. Hopefully her instructor would go easy on her, it was her first real sewing assignment after all.

Before the blunette could turn and react, Sabrina, clad with a pair of fabric scissors, rushed over and cut up a good portion of the fabric Marinette had been working on, eliciting a gasp from the victim.

"What the hell, Sabrina?" she snapped, turning her gaze to glare at the redhead.

She didn't have time to start from scratch, and even if she did, she was sure that Chloé would just send Sabrina over again to damage her second attempt.

"Now you're behind, just like us." she scoffed, turning on her heel to walk back to her 'master'.

Marinette stared at what she now had, drawing up ideas in her mind. Sabrina accidentally gave the dress just what it needed, the spice that it lacked.

The blunette continued to sew the damaged pieces into a dress, the slashes looking like geometric cut-outs. After assembling the piece, she sewed in red mesh where the cut-outs were, resulting in a very fashionable yet sultry look. About two hours had passed before she was entirely finished, her dress complete and snug on her mannequin.

Mme. Lemaire, the witty fashion teacher, sauntered over to Marinette's work station once she was complete. "Excellent job, Marinette! You've managed to complete such an excellent piece in such little time. The stitching on the sides is a tad wonky in some places, but this is still a great piece of work considering the time limit. You're dismissed for the day, feel free to take your work with you." she said.

Marinette happily gathered her things, walking past a scowling Sabrina and Chloé who were still sewing their pieces as the room emptied out.

Although she was warned to not interact with them, she couldn't help but keep her head held high as she exited the classroom. Creating an entire portfolio in weeks had not only taught her how to work under pressure, but how to sew quickly.

As Marinette walked down the streets of Paris toward the Cézanne Dormitory, she pulled out her phone and began to search for information about Adrien's event that night.

The blunette quickly fell down a click-hole of everything Adrien Agreste, snapping out of it when she reached the doors of the Cézanne Dormitory. She shoved her phone into her jacket pocket, shaking her head in self-disgust as she headed inside.

After all, she enrolled at Lycée Fauré to protect the people of Paris, not ogle over some boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading! Feel free to comment about anything and everything, and kudos are always appreciated. I can’t believe we’re almost at 500 hits, that’s crazy to me! This story may end up being more than just ten chapters, as I am enjoying writing these long, novel-like chapters. Thank you all for your kind words, have a great day! <3


	7. Dormitory Disruptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette has two very different encounters in two very different dorm rooms.

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

**OCTOBER**

The remainder of Marinette's first month at her new school whizzed by. Of course, there were plenty more akuma attacks, midnight rendezvous with Chat Noir, and incidents with Chloé and Sabrina, but none were notable enough to be life changing or year defining. No, September (and the majority of October) came and went pretty smoothly, Marinette adjusting well to her Parisian lifestyle.

While the Hawk Moth issues were worsening as his experience as a villain increased, there hadn't been any attacks over the past week, which a certain blunette had been very thankful for.

Even her sleeping habits had improved with time, her personal piano player always right below her when she needed them. She still hadn't dared to travel down to the second floor and find out who it was, as she feared that knowing their identity would take some of the magic away.

Imagine if it was Nino! Would Alya forgive her if she was being serenaded to sleep by her boyfriend almost every night? There were too many people in her building that she didn't want to be playing for her in that room, it wasn't worth breaking the spell by finding out.

Marinette, pulled out of her reflection on her first month at Lycée Fauré, felt a strong hand grab her wrist while she was waiting for the elevator to come and take her to the third floor of the dormitory.

She turned her head to look up at the boy beside her, promptly looking down at his loud clothing.

 _Yeesh, what is this getup?_ The blunette silently judged the young man's outfit, his navy blue slacks and bright green button-down beyond mismatched.

"Marinette, dude, you have to help me. Alya and I are going out for our third anniversary and I have no clue what to wear! You're a fashion chick, please help me out!" a flustered Nino begged, sending puppy dog eyes to the young girl.

"At least you're self aware." Marinette mumbled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing. I'd be happy to help out, just lead me to your closet, kay?" the blunette accepted with a smile. She couldn't help but be a little snarky with Nino. After all, the outfit was truly awful, and she was developing a refined taste through her fashion courses.

Nino nodded as the elevator came down. They entered, going to the first floor as opposed to Marinette's original destination, the third.

Marinette, in her almost two months at Lycée Fauré, had barely set foot on the boy's floor. She had no reason to, after all. Alya, however, would frequently visit the first floor both during the day and past curfew, being a tad obsessed with her 'boo-thang'. She supposed that it didn't really matter, because Nino was the same exact way with Alya.

Of course, since Nino had more room in his double with Adrien, as opposed to a quad room, Alya almost always went down to him. The Quad was already chock-full with four girls, Alya didn't need to add a late night session with Nino to the mix.

Nino practically dragged Marinette into his room, him and Adrien sharing a much smaller common room than those in the quad dorms, which made sense, as only two students shared it. There was really only room for a couch and a TV, both of which they happened to have. A mini-fridge was tucked in the corner, and as if on cue, Nino sauntered over to it, pulling out an energy drink.

 _Four in the afternoon, and Nino is just now starting to down a can of Monster?_ Marinette suddenly realized why Nino had all of those late night DJ sessions that Adrien complained about on the first day of school.

Although she still stared at him a lot, Marinette hadn't spoke much with Adrien since her first few days at lycée. Apart from small conversations in math class (which were usually broken apart by Luka) and the occasional lunch outing, they didn't see much of each other. After all, Adrien didn't go out much, and when Marinette took a night out, it would generally be with the girls or Luka if it wasn't spent fighting against Hawk Moth.

The blunette turned her head to the side and noticed a third door, knowing by its design that it lead to their bathroom. As if it had flown over her head when she first entered the room, the sound of blaring music and a running shower suddenly filled her ears.

Nino rolled his eyes, seemingly at the actions of whoever was in the bathroom. "He complains about my volume, but Monsieur Agreste takes the longest showers and blares his beats during them too." the boy scoffed.

Marinette's cheeks flared up, realizing that only a door separated her from a fully naked, soaking wet Adrien Agreste. She'd have the same bashful reaction if it were any other boy, but the image of a sopping wet Adrien that she had painted in her mind was something she didn't want there.

Nino led the flustered girl into his room, motioning to his closet. Marinette had expected the room to be a pig sty, but the composer actually kept his area relatively clean, most likely because he had a certain girl visiting him nearly every night these days. Marinette opened Nino's closet, sifting through the options. Of course, he didn't bring that much nice clothing to school. He only really needed it for performances, and the three-piece suit that he wore with the Fauré orchestra was a little too formal.

"We're going to this new restaurant, it's pretty fancy. I've just never been that good with colors..." the boy trailed off.

Marinette pulled out a black leather belt, light blue shirt, and blue patterned tie. "There, now with your pants, it's monochrome. Very fashionable." she said with a smile, pushing the clothing items into the clueless boy's chest.

"Okay, I'll change. Just wait outside, I'll come out when I'm all ready." Nino said with a smile. Marinette promptly nodded and turned around, exiting Nino's room.

As she left and closed the door behind her, she took no more than two paces before bumping into a warm and muscular chest.

"Wow, Marinette. I wonder how Alya is gonna feel when she finds out you were in Nino's room, especially on their anniversary." the tall figure said with a chuckle.

There it was again, that cheeky personality that only emerged when the two were alone. She remembered it from that first day party, when he called her out for staring at him.

Marinette looked up at the blonde and gave him her best death glare, which was pretty weak considering the circumstances. She quickly turned a bright shade of red once her eyes drew up his body to meet his.

"I'm helping him pick out an outfit for their anniversary." Marinette grumbled. She hated the cocky side of Adrien, the side of himself that indisputably knew he was smart, good looking, and talented. She hadn't had many encounters with this version of him though, simply because they had never been alone together.

"Well, maybe you could help me too. I have a date of my own, and I surely can't go out like this." Adrien said, nodding down to the towel he loosely held around his waist.

His grip on the cloth was so fragile that the blunette was sure it would only take a gust of wind to rip it off of him.

"Y-you have a date?" Marinette stammered out. She internally cursed herself, as she'd grown out of her nervous stutter many years ago. Something about Adrien always made her feel like a little kid, possibly because of the mature air he presented himself with. She had a similar feeling when she was with Luka, but he _was_ her superior, in a way. Adrien had no real authority above her, but for some reason, she hung on to his every word.

The sly boy opened his mouth to answer, but was quickly interrupted.

"I think it looks great, Marinette! Thank you for the help. When I go and get her tonight, she’ll be speechless!" Nino exclaimed, doing a spin as he exited his room. After he left his own little world, he noticed the duo in front of him and gasped.

"Adrien, are you coming on to this poor girl? At least put some clothes on first." Nino scoffed. The blonde rolled his eyes at his roommate.

"Just seeing if Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng wants to help me with my outfit like she did with you, Casanova." Adrien joked. Marinette observed his relaxed nature, seeing that he acted this way around Nino too. She was at a loss, trying to figure out why his more natural side was presented to her and Nino exclusively. After all, they were only acquaintances.

"I doubt you need her to dress you, you're just going out to dinner with your old man." Nino said. Then, it was Adrien's turn to become flushed, his red face contrasting against his exposed alabaster skin.

"That's your hot date?" Marinette asked, losing her composure in a fit of laughter. Nino stood there in confusion while Adrien cleared his throat, trying to regain his dignity.

"Have a good night, Marinette." the embarrassed boy said, breezing past her to enter his room.

"What was that all about?" Nino asked, cocking his head to the side like a lost puppy. Marinette just shrugged in response, preferring to keep the comical moment to herself.

━━━━━

"I'm thinking about throwing a costume party. Thoughts?" Alya asked her roommates, sitting upside-down on the couch in their common room. Waiting for Nino to show was taking a toll on the girl.

"Need I remind you, Alya, we don't really celebrate Halloween in France. Just because it's October doesn't mean we're suddenly American." Juleka said, sticking a paint brush into some blue dye and applying it to her brother's head. Luka had been needing a touch up on his ends for a while, and he trusted no one but his artistic sister to unconventionally re-dye his hair.

This, of course, led to him sitting on a collapsable chair in the middle of their common room, a towel wrapped around his shoulders to protect his clothes from the pigment that his sister was spreading on his head.

"I never said it would be a Halloween party, it would be a costume party. It'd be fun for the whole dorm to get together and let loose, especially on a night with no staff on duty?" Alya asked, turning her head to make eye contact with the teacher's assistant.

Luka rolled his eyes at the indirect request. "If you want me to find out when there isn't anyone on guard, I'm concerned about what you're planning for the night."

"I think it could be fun." Marinette piped up from her spot next to Alya on the couch, seated right-side-up, unlike the tan-skinned girl.

The statement from the blunette made the boy quickly change his tune.

"I guess I could help, but you know that there's _always_ someone on watch in the lobby, even if they usually fall asleep by midnight." Luka responded, eliciting a happy squeal from Alya. The girl turned herself upright and sprung off of the sofa into a happy dance.

"Oh, thank you Luka! Our savior!" she exclaimed, dancing around like an idiot.

The young boy laughed at the auburn-haired girl, causing his sister to pull his hair.

"Ouch, Jul!" he exclaimed, turning his head to shoot a glare up at her.

Everyone joined in to laugh at Luka, who simply rolled his eyes yet again.

"Ugh, if you asked me at this point last year where I'd be today, I assure you that I wouldn't guess here, hanging out with a bunch of kids." he joked.

Although it was funny of him to say, the statement took Marinette back to the hushed conversation she had with Luka when Adrien was gone at the Philharmonie in September.

She had the perfect opportunity to interrogate the blonde boy on the topic earlier that day in his room—especially with him being so comfortable with her—but didn’t take it. The pressure of needing to fix Luka's issues and not knowing why Adrien wanted that apprenticeship in the first place laid heavy on her chest.

It wasn't that she was nosy, just a natural problem-solver with an intense need to know anything and everything that she could.

"Oh, admit it Luka. You love us!" Rose said, smiling at the older boy. A smirk grew on his face as his focus set on the blunette in the room.

"Yeah. I guess you could say I do like you a lot." he said. Vocally, the statement was broadcasted to the entire room, but visually, the message was very obviously intended for Marinette.

"As much as we like you too, don't show up to my party, Luka. Having a non-student here will totally bring the vibes down." Alya said with a huff.

Luka chuckled, causing the butterflies in Marinette's stomach to pick up. "Don't worry, creeping around lycée parties isn't really my thing."

Marinette wasn't quite sure why she wasn't _officially_ together with Luka. It was mostly because he hadn't asked her to be his, like Chat Noir did almost every time they met to battle. Although a part of her wanted him to ask her out formally, Marinette never dared to _think_ about asking Luka.

She'd always been scared of rejection, as displayed by her 'try-hard' personality. Truthfully, she'd rather be in the complicated flirtation-ship stage with Luka forever than take a chance and have him turn her down.

Additionally, she didn't feel comfortable with the disloyalty that her teenage hormones caused; going after Luka during the day, lusting after Chat Noir at night, and staring at Adrien whenever she could.

Really, if Luka truly didn't enjoy hanging out with the Quad 13 girls due to their small age difference, why would he want to date Marinette? She'd always been mature for her age, but the fact that Luka always had to drop her off at her dorm once the night was over...? Well, it was a big kissing cock-block for the both of them.

Something about dropping off a young girl at a dormitory seems to remind an older boy that said girl he's going out with is still in lycée.

After about five nights out together over the past two months, including their rendezvous after the first day of school, they still hadn't locked lips. The furthest they had gotten was when he planted a kiss on her cheek one night, as she had somehow gotten a spot of ice cream on her face... _definitely_ not on purpose.

"Then it's settled. My costume-party-no-adults-allowed-extravaganza is on!" Alya said in an accomplished tone. "Oh, and Luka?" the auburn-haired girl added.

"Yes?" he groaned in response, knowing it wouldn't be good.

"Can you get the alcohol? I'd make Marinette do it, but I don't want her getting in trouble with the lycée." she said with a chuckle.

"Mom didn't send you with any, Jul?" Luka asked, tilting his head back to look at his sister. "She'd always stuff like, two liters of vodka in my duffle, saying that pirates always brought plenty of 'libations' when they went out to sea." he shuddered at the thought.

"Juleka..?" Alya asked, looking as if she would jump the girl she was so furious. "You have a stash and you didn't tell us? Think about all the nights we could've been in here getting plastered!"

Juleka rolled her eyes at her friend, looking just like her brother. "Sorry I try to focus on studying art, not _drinking_ , unlike others here." she said, smacking her brothers head softly. The motion still elicited a small yelp from him.

"I'll break it out so you can make some jungle juice for your party, but don't go getting everyone in the building sick, or getting me in trouble. Plus, let it be known that I'm doing this to shut you up, not to make you happy." Juleka said through gritted teeth, obviously upset that her older brother revealed the 'gifts' that her mother snuck into her bags.

"Aye-aye captain!" Rose said with a laugh. She'd never struck Marinette as a party type, but the blonde seemed almost as excited as Alya.

Luka pulled his phone out, seemingly sifting through some lycée schedules and emails he had received. It was clear that he came across the document that he was looking for when a smile spread across his face. "It's your lucky day. Well, I guess in two days it'll be your lucky day. From eleven at night to four in the morning on the thirty-first, no one will be in Cézanne beside the sleepy old man in the lobby. Think you can plan a bash for Saturday in such little time?"

Alya cracked her knuckles, her eyes turning to slits as if she was in some action movie. "I was born ready."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you all enjoyed! You guys have been amazing with the engagement, of course I enjoy the ABUNDANCE of kudos and comments, and I really enjoy writing this story for all of you <3\. I’m extending it to about fourteen chapters, I think seven more parts will allow for some much needed adrinette and marichat time and plot expansion. I already have a million new story ideas swirling in this weird brain of mine, so expect more tales soon!


	8. Playing Dress-up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Party preparations are in full swing as the Lycée Fauré students await a much needed night off.

**PARIS, FRANCE**

**QUINCAMPOIX COSTUME SHOP**

Marinette wandered around a costume shop near the school with her friends, surprised by how a few other Parisians seemed to be preparing for dress-up events as well.

In true Alya fashion, the determined girl managed to quietly—yet effectively—spread the word about Saturday night's party in just under a day, leaving Friday evening for everyone to throw together or purchase costumes.

The air in the classroom on Friday was thick with anticipation. Students were constantly shifting their heads to look at the clock, endlessly fidgeting with their pencils, or bouncing their legs in anticipation beneath their desks. The lycée kids never had many opportunities to let lose and party all together, and it was obvious that the students were ecstatic to be someone else for a night.

Marinette had simply come to the store for inspiration, set on putting a costume together herself. Her roommates, along with an excited Nino and reluctant Adrien, went with her, searching for costumes to purchase.

"Oh, Marinette! You'd look so good in this one!" Alya said sarcastically, holding up a 'Sexy Surgeon' costume.

The blunette rolled her eyes in response. "You'd probably fill it out better than I could, Alya." she said, glancing down at her semi-flat chest.

While Marinette was certainly better endowed at eighteen than she was in her youth, Alya had a full body with all of the right things in all of the right places. It was probably one of the many reasons Nino worshipped her so much.

"You'd be surprised what stuffing a few tissues in your bra can do, Marinette Dupain-Cheng." a snarky voice said from behind her.

The blunette rolled her eyes so hard, she was sure they would fall out of her head.

"Nice to see you too, Chloé," she started, turning around to face her rival. "Thanks for the sage advice, but I think I'll pass."

Chloé simply scoffed and slinked away into another section of the store, Sabrina by her side as usual.

Marinette brushed off the encounter and went back to looking at costumes, desperate to find a spark.

"I'm surprised she didn't spoil the party for everyone just out of spite." Alya said, quiet enough so that only the blunette at her side could hear it.

Marinette shook her head. "Even bitches need to let loose every once in a while." she said with a snicker.

Alya giggled in response, walking away to search for a piece elsewhere in the store.

"Woah, come look over here!" Alya said with a gasp, finding something she'd liked. Marinette navigated her way to the girl, equally as shocked at what the girl found, but for a different reason altogether.

A display featuring a Ladybug costume, yo-yo and all, stood before the two.

Nino walked up behind the two girls, throwing an arm around his girlfriend. Adrien followed close behind his friend, still reserved as ever.

"Nino! We need to go as Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Alya pleaded. The boy shook his head, adjusting his cap.

"Sorry, babe. I just don't give off Chat Noir's vibe. You know I'm not slick enough." Nino said with a shrug.

Marinette giggled. "Yeah, right. Slick." she mumbled.

"You know him?" Adrien chimed in.

Marinette froze for a split second before regaining her composure. "I wouldn't say we're best buddies, but yeah. I've talked to him."

She spent more time sitting in wait for him on her balcony on nights he had patrol than actually talking to him, but she'd never admit that.

"Why didn't you tell me! I could've used an interview for my documentary! I'm telling you, every day that passes, my list of potential suspects for Hawk Moth gets shorter." Alya said, too proud for her own good.

"And who is the prime suspect?" Adrien asked. For such a quiet boy, he was talkative that afternoon.

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a scoop." Alya responded, looking back at the blonde with a wink. He rolled his eyes in retaliation.

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

_10:00 PM._

Marinette couldn't stop staring at the alarm clock situated on her bedside table. She knew that a watched pot never boils, but something was so addictive about watching the damn pot.

She was more than ready to let loose and have fun for once, praying that an akuma attack wouldn't interrupt her night. There had already been one earlier that afternoon, and she hoped that Hawk Moth would kindly take a chill pill.

It was the first time she had fought someone she recognized, and the first thing she wanted to do _afterward_ was forget about it.

It shook her to see Mme. Robert as the _Helicopter Mother_ , distraught after losing her child at the _Trocadéro_. Seeing someone she looked up to in that vulnerable position felt awful, she wondered if Chat Noir experienced this with every akumatized villain they fought.

 _10:15 PM_.

Marinette sighed, looking at her costume in the full-length mirror.

She had her midnight blue hair up in a french twist, deciding to dress up as Audrey Hepburn in _Breakfast at Tiffany's_. She had picked up some fake pearls, a small tiara, and long black gloves from the costume shop to complete the look, wearing a black body-con dress that she already had in her closet.

She decided against wearing the iconic sunglasses with the look, as the lighting was sure to be low at this secret party.

_10:30 PM._

Marinette slipped on a pair of black kitten heels, growing about an inch taller. While it wasn't much, she still felt like a titan from the small increase.

She looked in the mirror one final time. She was no Audrey Hepburn, but for a last minute costume, she thought she hit the nail right on the head.

The blunette touched up her lip gloss before spinning around and exiting her room, entering the chaos that was the Quad 13 common room.

The party was scheduled to start at 11:15 on the dot, giving a fifteen minute window to make sure all staff had left the building before the festivities began.

The only thing illuminating the common room was the phone flashlights of Alya and Rose, who were slaving over the jungle juice. A disgruntled Juleka sat on the couch in the shadows, most likely cursing her eccentric mother for sending her with alcohol in the first place.

Alya sacrificed one of her massive plastic storage containers to use as a receptacle for the cursed beverage. They'd followed an American recipe online, mixing in cut up lemons, limes, and plenty of sugary fruit juice.

"Marinette! You'll be our lab rat." Rose said, even more giddy than usual. The blunette wondered if she had already been sneaking tastes of the concoction.

"Oh, great. I'm not terrified at all." Marinette said, walking over to the coffee table that they were working over. She followed suit to her friends, kneeling down next to it.

Alya took the ladle from its spot on the table and scooped a small bit of the punch into a Solo Cup, handing it to the blunette. The young girl glanced down at her phone to check the time once again.

_10:45 PM._

As she put her phone down, Marinette raised the cup to her lips and took a sip. The blunette was pleasantly surprised by how non-alcoholic the libation tasted.

"That shit's dangerous, Alya," she warned, placing the cup down on the table. "It's good, but you better make sure people know it's spiked. We don't want everyone walking around as sick as dogs tomorrow."

Alya nodded, a devious grin spreading across her face. "Cézanne Dormitory is about to get plastered beyond belief."

Juleka rolled her eyes. "I doubt you'll be able to stay up past midnight after one cup of that." she scoffed. Marinette laughed along with her, she made a mental note to take it easy on the drinks.

Alya scowled at the raven-haired girl before glancing down at her phone. "Shit! It's nearly eleven already!"

Marinette was dumbfounded by how Alya felt the time was _flying by_. The blunette was practically living in slow motion, waiting for some much needed stress relief in the form of a party.

"We only have ten minutes to change before setting up!" Rose exclaimed, scrambling up from her position on the floor and dashing into her room.

Alya did the same, emphasizing the rush she was in by taking off her shirt while running into her quarters.

Yes, she had definitely already tasted her creation.

"I know I don't show it much to those two, but I am excited for tonight. The Fauré kids all need a night to let loose, especially the _terminale_ students." Juleka said, looking at Marinette as she stood up from the couch. The raven-haired girl walked over to the blunette and outstretched a hand to her, pulling her up from her place on the ground. Both girls turned their phone flashlights on, making up for the loss of Alya's and Rose's when they rushed out of the room.

Juleka was already dressed, clad in a _Wednesday Addams_ costume. It suit her well, and she played into her artistic skills by drawing crazily realistic bags under her eyes with makeup. They almost rivaled the natural ones that a certain blonde sported most days.

"I get it. I've only been here a few _weeks_ now and I'm already starting to feel the burnout. I can't imagine how a few _years_ of this pressure feels." Marinette said.

She then remembered how easy her life was, both before becoming Ladybug and enrolling at Lycée Fauré. _When would she be able to breathe easy again?_

"It's definitely an acquired taste. I think you fit in well though. You're easy to be friends with, Marinette." Juleka enthused, giving her roommate a quick side-hug. Marinette knew that the girl wasn't usually a touchy person, so the fact that she embraced her felt other worldly.

Rose emerged from her room wearing nothing but a coconut bra and a grass skirt. Juleka immediately turned a bright shade of red, visible even in the current dull and manufactured lighting of the room.

"What do you think?" Rose asked, obviously more pointed to Juleka than Marinette. Maybe tonight, with the help of a scandalous hula costume, the two of them would finally become official.

"Isn't it a little... revealing?" Juleka mumbled, trying—and failing—to pull her eyes away from the blonde girl's attire.

Rose simply responded with a giggle.

Then, it was Alya's turn to emerge. She had on a low-cut white dress and a headband with a halo attached atop her head. "In reality, I think Nino is the angel and I'm the devil, but this is how the couple's costume came." she muttered with a shrug.

"You do look heavenly." Marinette said, winking at her friend. Gosh, was the buzz from the punch already hitting her after a measly quarter of a cup?

Alya giggled at the blunette before putting on a game face. "Alright ladies, it's 11:09. In exactly one minute, or whenever he confirms the building is clear, Nino will be here-" Alya started, before there was a knock at the door.

"...Good to know the clock in my room is running a minute behind." Alya grumbled before heading to open the door. The three remaining girls lined up in front of the coffee table to block the giant container from view, in case the knock came from a staff member.

Fortunately, Nino was indeed on the other side of the door, dressed in a fully red devil outfit. "All clear, chicks." he said, the three girls dispersing from their spot in front of the punch receptacle.

He gave Alya a quick peck on the lips and strolled into the Quad 13 common room, smiling at Marinette. "Hey, monochrome, right?" he said, turning in a circle for her just like he did a few days back.

She laughed in response and nodded. "Yes, very good. You should join us in fashion class sometime."

"Where's Adrien?" Alya asked, noticing that Nino didn't have his best bud beside him.

"His costume was lame, I had to tell him to change. He put on his performance clothes and said he was a conductor." Nino said, stifling a laugh. "I swear, that boy may be book smart, but all the sheltering his parents did as a child has given him the social skills of a pet rock."

"I thought you picked out something for him at the shop yesterday after he kept turning everything down?" Rose asked the young boy.

Marinette must have been too busy acquiring her Audrey Hepburn accessories while all of this costume gathering was going on with the others.

Nino nodded in response to Rose. "I did, I just think he's not accustomed to going out of his comfort zone in front of everybody like that. You know Adrien." he said.

 _'Do we really?'_ was the only thought that ran through Marinette's mind. Adrien felt less robotic when they were alone together, but even so, she didn't feel as though she _knew_ him at all.

"Alright, it's crunch time people. We gotta get this downstairs, and we can't use the elevator 'cause it could wake up the old guy in the lobby." Alya explained, walking over to the coffee table. She bent over and grabbed ahold of one side of the liquid-filled bin.

"All hands on deck for some heavy lifting!" Rose said, rushing over to help. Marinette, Juleka, and Nino followed suit, the work dispersed (somewhat) equally among the five of them. The party crew hoisted the bin up and exited the room, happy to see that the third floor was indeed empty.

The group traveled slow and steady, walking down the two flights of stairs with caution before arriving on the shared second floor.

They navigated their way into the kitchenette area, placing the tub on the counter.

"I'll run back upstairs and grab the cups, if you guys want to work on putting out snacks?" Marinette asked the group, waiting for a consensus from them or the leader. Alya nodded in response to her friend, waving her off.

Marinette swiftly turned around on her heel, knowing that the students would be making their way up to the second floor in a few short minutes. On her way back to the stairwell, she nearly had her second collision with the same blonde boy in a matter of two days.

Luckily, Marinette stopped in her tracks as she came face-to-face (more like face-to-chest, considering his height) with a dressed-up Adrien Agreste.

Although in September, she convinced herself that he was nothing like Clark Kent, the costume he was wearing sure did a good job of proving her wrong.

He had black dress pants on—held up by a black leather belt—with a white button-up that was halfway undone. The open buttons revealed the _Superman_ logo beneath his shirt. He even had the classic Clark Kent glasses, which were way too realistic to not be a personal item of his.

If he had bad eyesight, at least one part of him wouldn't be seemingly perfect.

"Do I look okay? Nino got me the _Superman_ costume, but I'm really not one for parading around in a sign tight suit." Adrien said awkwardly, looking down at the girl in front of him.

Marinette nodded. "Yeah, I like what you did with it." she responded softly, still taken aback by what he was wearing. It was like he managed to read her mind.

Adrien smiled, placing a gentle hand on Marinette's shoulder. "This is so you, Marinette. _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ , absolutely gorgeous." he said, nodding down to her costume. Before she could reply, he walked past her to meet up with Nino in the kitchenette.

_Did he just call her gorgeous? And just why did it make the butterflies in her stomach take flight?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, we’re gearing up for an interesting night at Lycée Fauré! Thank you guys so much for all of the love, as usual <3


	9. Trespassing and Eavesdropping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Cézanne Dormitory Party is in full swing, Marinette has a flirty encounter with a certain blonde and later overhears a particularly shocking conversation.

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

By 11:30, the dormitory party was in full swing. Nino had gone downstairs to check that the lazy guard at the front door was fast asleep before breaking out some killer music. He blasted the beats but remained cautious, hoping that the commotion couldn't be heard down in the lobby.

In actuality, it was common knowledge that the dorm was built like a fortress. The walls and floors were thick concrete, allowing for plenty of noisy shenanigans.

Students were gathered in the common area, most of them dispersed around the second floor to engage in side conversations. The main event was in the center of the floor, which had become the designated place for dancing. Of course, the dance students showed off, while the others were just happy to participate. Nino handled the DJ duties quite well, playing his own music, as well as some of Max's mixes.

Marinette stayed away from the cursed jungle juice for the most part, still on her first measly cup of it. Others, however, were obviously set on losing control that night. Being her observant and protective self, she'd noticed that Rose and Alya, as the mixologists, had their fair share already.

Rose was dancing all over Juleka, while Alya stood next to the blunette as the two of them leaned back to chill against the wall. The auburn-haired girl was endlessly whining about how Nino's DJ obligations were seriously cutting into their make out time.

Marinette absentmindedly nodded in agreement with every remark that Alya made and kept to herself, enjoying the people watching that she was doing from the corner of the room.

She watched as student by student emerged from the kitchenette, red cup in hand. She knew exactly who was on the their first drink, their second drink, and who must’ve had a death wish with all of the alcohol they were consuming.

The last person Marinette had expected to leave the kitchenette with a drink was Adrien Agreste. By his uncharacteristically relaxed movements, Marinette assumed that he was already a bit tipsy. Overall, not drunk, but teetering on the edge.

She was surprised he could even stomach the fruity drink, rich guys like him probably only drank the finest liquors.

For most of the night, the blonde had accompanied Nino, assisting him with the technology. Now, however, he had apparently gone to get a drink, and was bombarded by Chloé during his exit from the kitchenette.

Marinette felt her blood boil. Surely not because she felt possessive of Adrien, but because the spoiled girl did nothing but make him uncomfortable.

Chloé was dressed up as Cher from Clueless, and Marinette had to admit, the costume suited her. She had a hand on Adrien's chest, pressing him back against the nearest wall as she chatted him up. The blunette noticed him taking frequent sips from his drink, almost as if Chloé would be more tolerable to talk to if he were drunk.

As much as she wanted to bust out her Ladybug persona and save Adrien from the wicked girl, Marinette knew that she just couldn't.

Additionally, Adrien hadn't really done anything to _deserve_ her help. It occurred to her that beside the compliment he paid her earlier that night, she'd never seen him be kind, or exhibit any emotion at all beside 'swag' and 'brooding'.

So, she leaned back against the wall, her eyes set on the train wreck that was occurring just a few meters away.

Adrien seemed to make some sort of excuse for himself, slithering away from Chloé and back toward Nino's station. The clingy girl had run a hand through his hair before he retreated from her, messing up his carefully styled mop. As much as Chloé putting her hands on him upset Marinette, the relaxed style looked good on him.

While Adrien seemed considerably more under the influence after his conversation with Chloé than before it, the blonde girl appeared to be entirely sober. In fact, that was the closest she had gotten to the kitchenette all night. After all, Chloé was very health conscious, and that punch most likely had a world of sugar and calories in it.

"Girl, are you even listening to me?" Alya turned to her friend, snapping her out of her trance.

"Yes, yes!" Marinette groaned. "If you want to get under Nino so badly, I'm sure Max would be happy to take over for him."

"I wouldn't count on that." Alya pointed over to the dance floor, where Max was getting all kinds of down, funky, and loose. How had she missed that?

Marinette laughed, leaning over to her friend. "How about you dance with me, hm? We can try and have half as much fun as Max is." she joked.

Alya drunkenly giggled, nodding in response to her roommates request. The auburn-haired girl quickly grabbed her friend's wrist and dragged her to the designated dancing area, the blunette nearly twisting an ankle due to the heels she was wearing.

Marinette shook off the rash behavior of her friend, knowing that she was more than a little inebriated. The two reached the dance floor together, and they danced as well as they could for a film and fashion student.

Alya, in true Alya fashion, was moving in a sequence of body rolls, hair flips, and hip sways. Although she was dressed like an angel, the way she was dancing was quite devilish.

Marinette enjoyed the techno music and danced to the beat, but far more conservatively than her good friend did. She observed Alya looking over to Nino's DJ station, the blunette knowing that her explicit behavior was all a calculated plot to separate Nino from his work.

Even when absolutely plastered, Alya was still as sly and cunning as a fox.

Marinette giggled at her friends actions and followed her gaze, happy to see that her clever plan was working. Nino was obviously itching to part with his music in order to dance—no room for Jesus included—with his girlfriend.

Adrien, his dutiful lackey for this gig, shifted his sights from the soundboard to what his best friend was so intently looking at.

Marinette could see the blonde boy become tense when he set sights on the two friends in the middle of the floor. For some reason, the blunette didn't like Adrien's attention being fixated on Alya. Not only was the tan-skinned girl already in a relationship, but she wasn't a piece of meat to be gazed at!

So, doing the only logical thing, Marinette became said piece of meat to be gazed at.

She mimicked Alya's moves, rolling hips and popping chests. Although she felt attractive, the movement wasn't really her. Or, at least sober her. The tipsy version of her had no issue acting flat out drunk in order to get what she wanted.

But, in this situation, _why_ did she want Adrien's eyes on her?

Marinette looked over to where Nino and Adrien stood a moment ago, seeing Nino remove his headphones and hand them to the blonde, silently pleading for him to take over.

Adrien gave a curt nod, causing Marinette to shift her vision to look at Alya. The girl had a triumphant smile on her face as Nino rushed over, scooping her up in his arms and running away with her. _Well, shit._ Marinette couldn't help but think.

She turned her head to watch Adrien take over the music, being a surprisingly good substitute for Nino. He quickly faded from the current song to a new one that better suited his taste, turning his vision back to Marinette.

In that moment, the young girl realized that when she was dancing with Alya, Adrien wasn't staring at the auburn-haired girl.

He was staring at her.

Something about this revelation made Marinette's face turn a pale red, more than the alcohol in her system had already. Even though she was only half-chinese, she still inherited her mother's 'asian glow,' causing her skin to feel hot and flush after drinking even the slightest bit of alcohol.

Hastily, she continued to dance provocatively. If he was watching, why not put on a show? She kept her eyes trained on Adrien, just as Alya had done with Nino.

The only difference was that Alya and Nino were in a long-term relationship, and the closest to flirting that Adrien ever got with Marinette was calling her gorgeous an hour prior.

The blunette saw her target stiffen up even further, as if he was embarrassed to be so enthralled by her. Nevertheless, he looked right back at her, just as intensely. Their eye contact was precise, as if they were each daring the other to look away.

Adrien's eyes narrowed and nearly turned to slits, a smirk playing on his face. She recognized that look from somewhere, though she couldn't quite pin it down in her hazy state. Flustered with being under his further intensified gaze, she quickly broke eye contact and retreated from the dance area. As per usual, he had won.

She suddenly felt incredibly hot and sweaty, the product of so many bodies gathering on one floor of the dormitory. She closed her eyes tight and rubbed them, entirely forgetting about her eye makeup.

"Shit." she'd pulled out her phone camera to assess the damage, and sure enough, there were black mascara stains under her eyes.

She shook her head in an effort to clear out the cobwebs in her brain, making her way over to the stairs. She headed up to the third floor, desperately needing some cooler air. The party was most likely nearing its peak, so Marinette felt it was a good time to freshen up and cool down before heading back out there.

When she arrived on the third floor, the young girl was ecstatic to see it entirely deserted. She was able to let out a heavy sigh, reaching down to remove her painfully uncomfortable shoes. Just ten minutes was all she needed to do some touch-ups and decompress.

She headed into Quad 13, grateful that her absentminded self had left the door unlocked after grabbing the cups earlier. She trudged over to her room, heading inside to see Tikki messing around with some markers.

"Hey, Marinette. Long night already?" the little creature zipped over to her owner through the air.

The blunette nodded in response. "Gotta fix my makeup and cool down, but everyone seems to be having a good time. No akumatizations here."

Marinette grabbed some makeup remover and a cotton pad, fixing the dark circles that she had accidentally made under her eyes. Once she erased them, she re-applied her concealer where the solution had ate through it. She swiped on a little more lip gloss, satisfied with her touch up. As the young girl turned to put her heels back on, Tikki spoke up again, darting out from her usual spot in the vent.

"Marinette, come and get a load of this!" she zoomed back into the vent, waiting for the girl to open it up so she could also listen in on what was happening in the practice room.

"This better be good, Tikki." Marinette mumbled as she flipped the floor vent open, leaning down to listen to whatever the creature was so interested in.

All that filled Marinette's ears was the sound of sloppy kisses and soft moans, causing her to jump back. "Tikki! Gross!" her tone was hushed, but intense.

"Here, here! Listen!" Tikki insisted, quickly emerging from the vent and gesturing for Marinette to come eavesdrop yet again.

The blunette reluctantly leaned her head back down, luckily hearing a conversation this time. The powerful creature was right, this was something that could prove useful for Marinette to hear.

"Gosh Chloé... I never expected you to tear me away from the party like that. You'd never agreed to us hooking up before..."

Marinette knew that voice, it belonged to a certain dancer who was also a math whiz, as well as a respected member of student government.

But, what was a guy like Kim doing with Chloé Bourgeois? Furthermore, for as much as Chloé lusts after Adrien, what was she doing with Kim?

From what the boy had said, it seemed as though Kim had a long time thing for Chloé, feelings that were never reciprocated. Although the boy seemed a tad drunk to Marinette earlier, from the tone of his voice, Chloé throwing herself at him quickly sobered him up.

"Hey, everyone else is letting loose tonight. It would be _utterly_ _ridiculous_ if I didn't get to as well."

Yep, that was definitely Chloé Bourgeois. Marinette could recognize her shrill voice from a mile away.

The blunette reached for her phone, pulling up the 'Voice Memos' application. She felt a little odd about recording the conversation that was occurring below her, but the idea of having ammunition against Chloé in case of an emergency made her feel secure.

She kept her ear close to the vent, cringing at the sounds of their prolonged make out session while waiting for one of them to speak again.

"Are you sure you should be doing this, Marinette? It seems a little sketchy..." Tikki flew up from the vent and sat on the hardwood floor.

"If she backs off of me, then I won't need to use it." Marinette grumbled. Tikki shrugged, not caring to be the voice of reason for once.

The young girl heard murmurs from below again, hitting the 'record' button on her device.

"Just don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Chloé said, catching her breath. Obviously, the session between the two had been intense.

Marinette assumed that Kim did something to Chloé's liking, because she let out a giggle before he responded. "Anything for you, _Mademoiselle Bourgeois_."

With that, the lewd noises from below picked up again, and Marinette promptly stopped recording on her device. _No one_ needed to hear all of that. As she leaned down to shut the vent, the door to her room slowly creaked open.

Marinette jumped away from the now closed vent, Tikki darting down into it to hide. She immediately felt remorse for the small creature, hoping that she was plugging her ears so she didn't have to listen to the entanglement that was occurring below them.

Internally, the young girl cursed herself for leaving the door to their dorm unlocked when a bunch of drunk teenagers were running around.

In that moment, Marinette was at least relived that the vent was positioned next to her bed, the mattress tall enough to block the view of it from the doorway.

She heard the heavy footsteps enter her room, confused as to who they belonged to.

Marinette crawled over to the side of her bed, putting her hands on the edge to peer over at the intruder. Once the blunette recognized the culprit, she rolled her eyes.

She furrowed her brow, popping up from the ground to stand. "What the _hell_ are you doing in my room?" Marinette seethed. She crossed her arms over her chest, cocking her head to the side.

The blonde boy turned around, placing a hand on his chest as his heartbeat spiked due to the surprise attack.

" _Jesus_ , Marinette. You really know how to shock a guy, huh?" Adrien placed the heels of his hands behind him on the desk that he was just rooting through, leaning back onto the edge of it.

Marinette was smart enough to know that his comment was not only referencing her guerrilla attack a few seconds ago, but her teasing actions from earlier that night as well.

And gosh, if _he_ was the one trespassing in _her_ dorm room, why was _she_ the one turning red and breaking out in a nervous sweat?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! As always, I have to leave you guys dangling on a moment between these two ;) Comments and kudos are always appreciated, especially as this story is slowly coming to a climax and a close! I have an idea for an adrinette enemies to lovers multi-chap that I would start post-Clair de Lune, but might stick with writing more one-shots... Share thoughts! Thank you for reading! <3


	10. Surprise Visitors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette’s confrontation with Adrien does not go as planned. A certain black cat makes another late-night appearance.

"I said, what the _h-hell_ are you doing in my room? _And_ going through my desk?" Marinette avoided her stutter as much as she could, swallowing harshly.

If the boy standing across from her was sober, she'd expect him to clam up and lie his way out of the situation. However, drunk words are sober thoughts.

"Feisty, Mademoiselle. Don't tell anyone, but this is one of my favorite movies. Well, one of my mother's favorites." Adrien said, keeping his cool posture. Apparently, his sober thoughts were all nonsense. She was surprised at the smoothness of his speech, however. Perhaps he wasn't as inebriated as she once thought.

"What movie?" the blunette was still irritated, her blue eyes piercing into his green ones.

" _Breakfast at Tiffany's_ , duh." the boy shrugged, leaning his head back to look at the ceiling. "I used to watch it with her all the time; she was always a sucker for the classics."

Marinette's expression softened. She hadn't forgotten that Adrien was messing with her possessions, but couldn't deny that him talking about his mom was cute. Maybe all he needed to relax and function like a normal human being was a shot or two.

It was common knowledge that Adrien's mother had passed a few years back, it was the whole reason his father had become a hermit. Or, at least that was the assumed reason in the fashion world.

"You wanna know a secret, Marinette? Something about you just makes me wanna," he paused to mull over the correct word to use. "Vent."

Marinette sighed and nodded, sitting on the foot of her bed. She patted on the mattress next to her, signaling Adrien to sit down. He obeyed her command, taking the spot.

"Seeing you tonight, it reminded me a lot of my mom. More than you usually do..." he laughed.

"Actually, wait. I take that back. I shouldn't tell you that you remind me of my dead mom."

Marinette threw a hand over her mouth in shock. Gosh, was he brash!

"Adrien!" she was shocked, to say the least. He raised a finger to rest against her lips for a moment, their eyes locking.

"Shush. I'm allowed to talk like that. Helps dull the pain, fill the void... I don’t know." the blonde ran a hair through his hair, messing it up further in the process.

Marinette frowned, but nodded in agreement. After all, who was she to tell him how to speak on his mother?

Marinette couldn't help but like the inebriated Adrien. He was vulnerable, talkative, straightforward... Everything that the 'real' Adrien wasn't. Well, if anything about the 'real' version of him was truly real at all.

"Is that why you chose to come here? For a new start without her ghost around?" Marinette asked, leaning back on her bed. Adrien followed suit, letting out a deep breath. It was a heavy question to ask a drunk person, but it was burning in her mind.

"I'm not even sure why I chose to come here. Most of it was my father's doing, I was just complicit. But now, I'm grateful that I came here after my mother passed. When you move around as much as I did as a kid, you don't make friends well. I may not have many friends here, but at least everyone likes me." Adrien babbled on and on, and Marinette enjoyed being able to really hear his voice. Hear his opinion.

She nearly laughed when he claimed that everyone liked him. She knew for a fact, one certain boy with freshly dyed blue hair wasn't very fond of the blonde.

"You're a great conversationalist when drunk, you know." Marinette turned her head to look at him, laughing. He turned his head to meet her gaze, scowling.

"I am not drunk. Would a drunk person be able to do this?" Adrien put his arms up and waved them around. Yet again, Marinette noticed his massive hands and slender fingers.

Marinette cleared her throat, as well as her thoughts. "Yes, probably. We need a straight line for you to walk."

"I don't want to walk. Your bed is so comfy." Adrien groaned, throwing his arms above his head. His hands smacked against the hard wooden headboard, causing him to let out a yelp. Marinette simply laughed at the boy.

"Did you damage the merchandise?" Marinette asked, referring to the pianist's delicate hands.

Adrien brought his skillful hands to his face, waggling his fingers around. "That hurt like a bitch, but I think I'll be fine. No career ending injury on your hands." he turned his head to smirk at the blunette.

She gasped in reply, her mouth agape. "On _my_ hands? _You're_ the one who was busy throwing your limbs around!" she argued in fake contempt.

"Yeah, on your bed. That's your fault, princess." the blonde joked. Marinette froze up a bit at the nickname. Only Chat called her that. It was a common nickname, but the girl felt thoughts of a certain black cat invade her mind.

"You know, worse has happened on this bed." Marinette lied through her teeth. She wanted to tease Adrien, see how he would react. The way he looked at her earlier was nothing short of sinful, whether he would acknowledge it or not.

"Oh, between you and Luka?" Adrien started, folding his arms so that his hands rested behind his head. "It's weird, I always thought he was gay. But, I guess since the two of you are all buddy-buddy, that isn't the case."

Marinette shot up, getting off of the bed. She stared down at Adrien, her eyes practically shooting out lasers onto the boy. "I'm sorry, what?" she seethed.

Either a drunk Adrien was spewing utter bullshit, or Luka was leading her on. But why would he do that? Marinette had nothing to offer Luka. However, it would explain why he hadn't made a single pass at her.

Adrien leaned up, the sight of his green eyes causing the angry girl to soften. "I've just always thought he was gay. Nothing more to it. He's a decent guy and all, but never really had a strict girlfriend here. Just constantly hopping around from girl to girl, evading before anything ever really grew. Well, I guess you're the exception to that, though."

Marinette sighed, leaning her head into her hands. Now, she had a serious conversation to have with Luka. Something about Adrien telling her all of this while tipsy made her believe him more than she would if he were sober.

There was reason for suspicion, after all. What boy goes out with a girl for two months and _doesn't_ talk about taking things further?

"Nothing has happened with Luka. At least, nothing that would call for a bed." Marinette mumbled, ashamed of her lying.

"Well, not all hope is lost." Adrien stood up and looked down at Marinette, keeping their eye contact.

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked, clearly confused.

Adrien clumsily placed a hand on the nearest wall, trapping Marinette in between his body and the edge of the room. She had her back pressed up against the wall, staring up at the boy with baited breath.

"We could make a good use of it." the blonde flirted, smirking down at her. Marinette knew it was all too good to be true, his cheeks were nearly as flushed as hers were.

No, the boy was simply in over his head as far as the drinking went. The last thing Marinette wanted to do was have her first romantic interaction with Adrien take place while they were both under the influence,one far more than the other.

However, Marinette knew that she _did_ want more real conversations like this with Adrien in the future. Hopefully, they would be a little more sober during them.

With her mind running, Marinette was unable to protest against the blonde's actions. However, he at least knew boundaries, and didn't go further until Marinette spoke up.

"Uh, Adrien... Don't you think..." Marinette started, cut off by the sound of the Quad 13 door swinging open.

"Marinette! Don't think I didn't see you run off! We're playing spin the bottle, hurry your ass up!" Rose called out, shutting the door with a slam.

She had exited as quickly as she had entered, but Rose's untimely interruption was still abrupt enough to cause the young pair to jump apart.

Marinette cleared her throat, attempting to ignore the compromising position she was in moments ago.

"What's spin the bottle?" Adrien asked, stepping further away from the girl.

She rolled her eyes. For such a big flirt, he didn't know anything about being a teenager. Perhaps it was all of those romantic movies he watched with his mother in his youth.

"You spin a bottle, then it lands on someone. You have to kiss the person it lands on." Marinette said in a very annoyed tone, pushing at Adrien's back to forcefully guide him out of her room.

"That doesn't quite sound like something I would do. Mind sitting with me on the sidelines?" Adrien pleaded.

As he gave in to her pushes and walked himself out, Marinette turned around to dispose of the empty plastic cup he so kindly left on her desk. She looked down into it, seeing no red-tinged residue ring on the bottom. Instead, it was clear.

He had been drinking _water_. From the _tap_.

Marinette casually threw out the cup before following behind Adrien, not letting her thoughts be mimicked in her behavior.

"Yeah, sure. I'll sit it out with you."

The Adrien before her wasn't drunk, not in the slightest. No, the Adrien before her was the _candid_ Adrien. Perhaps putting on a bit of an act to play the 'tipsy guy' character convincingly, but more himself than he ever was in front of her or their peers.

And the worst part? She _liked_ the real him. Mostly because it reminded her of the sly cat that she was forbidden from being with, but she liked him nonetheless.

In that moment, she wanted him back in her room. Back on her bed, tangled up in his arms. However, it was her turn to play a part. The part of the oblivious girl.

━━━━━

Compared to the front half of the night, the back half was pretty uneventful for Marinette. Once they rejoined with the others, Adrien pretty much went back to his brooding ways, further affirming to the blunette that his act in her bedroom was just that. An act.

She didn't know how to feel about his tipsy façade. She was mostly mad at herself, angry that she had let herself be fooled. For a girl who had great pride in her perceptive skills, the fact that Adrien had mislead her with such ease made her blood boil.

Although the block of unsupervised time stretched past dawn, the party was pretty much over by two in the morning. Since Marinette was one of the few sober kids in the building, she helped break everything down.

The buzz from her first (and only) measly drink was long gone, allowing her to keenly observe all of the students who got undeniably sloppy as the night progressed.

Fortunately, there hadn't been much of a set-up to the party in the first place. All it took was fifteen minutes to put away the snacks in the kitchenette and dump the scarce remains of the alcoholic concoction down the drain. Once she was done cleaning up, she took the plastic tub under her arm, preparing to walk it back up to the third floor.

Marinette walked out of the kitchenette and through the common room, entering the stairwell before a deep and tired voice called out from behind her.

There was only one other person who was both awake and had seemed to truly lay off the alcohol in the past few hours. Marinette, due to the evidence in her room, knew that he was most likely laying off the entire night.

"Hey, Marinette." Adrien called out, wrapping up the cords from Nino's amateur DJ set.

Marinette turned around to face the boy. "Yeah?" she asked in reply, just loud enough so that he could hear.

"Sleep tight." the blonde boy gave her a bashful grin. Oh, now he wanted to play shy?

Marinette nodded, despite her shock at his change in tone from earlier. "Yeah, you too."

She turned and walked up the stairs, plastic tub still under her arm. The last time Adrien got her alone, she ended up pressed against a wall. Now he's trying to play it cute and say goodnight? It was all so strange to her.

After dropping Alya's storage bin in the common room, Marinette gladly headed to her quarters. It wasn't worth it to take a shower, no matter how musty she felt. She simply took off her makeup and let down her long locks, running a hand through her hair.

She changed into sweats, her room feeling _cold_ for once. It was most likely just her feeling the difference from the overheated second floor.

Marinette had laid in bed for about ten minutes, simply letting her mind wander, before she heard a knock on her window. She bolted up, scared for her life. This is how it ends, she couldn't help but think.

She crawled out from under her covers and opened the shutters on the window behind her bed, seeing a familiar superhero with shaggy hair. She rolled her eyes, and he stuck his tongue out at her.

Chat Noir pointed to his right, signaling that he wanted to speak to Marinette out on her balcony. Luckily, she had on the right attire to face the chilly October nights of Paris.

Marinette groaned and nodded in response to Chat, getting out of her bed. He smiled in his signature sly way and pounced out of her view.

The blunette trudged through the Quad 13 common room and out onto the balcony, the mischievous boy already perched on the metal rail.

"Hey, Chat. What're you doing out at two in the morning? More importantly, what're you doing _keeping me up_ at two in the morning?" Marinette rolled her eyes, walking over to the railing. She leaned over, resting her clothed elbows on the cool metal. While it was slightly chilly out, there was no wind to make the weather more extreme, so she felt comfortable.

Chat looked over at the girl, his sight locking with hers. "What do you think? Couldn't sleep." the cat-boy shrugged. "Don't try to convince me that you were actually getting some shut-eye for once. We both know you couldn't sleep either."

Marinette scoffed. "Actually, I was just at a dorm party. That's why I'm up." she wanted to show off, show Chat she was cool.

Chat chuckled, causing a slight stir in Marinette's stomach. "A party, here? Don't tell me my princess has gone and damaged her purity."

The blunette shoved the blonde in the side. "As if you get to comment on my purity." she mumbled.

Chat Noir dismounted from the balcony and stood by Marinette's side, attempting to get more on her level.

She enjoyed him being closer, it made him feel more human. As a fellow student leading a double life, Marinette sometimes forgot that there was a person behind the illustrious Chat Noir. He is somebody.

"Anything notable happen? I just _adore_ your evening reports. They make my boring life so much more interesting." Chat cooed.

Marinette rolled her eyes at the boy. "Well, a guy did fake being drunk, sneak into my room, and then pin me against a wall. So that was a bit notable." she mumbled sleepily.

Chat cocked an eyebrow at her. "Uh, you're sure he was faking?" the young boy asked. Marinette nodded, lazily leaning her head to rest on his shoulder.

"There didn't seem to be any alcohol in his cup."

Chat cleared his throat, melting into Marinette's touch. "Well, maybe there's more to the situation than what meets the eye." he whispered.

"You don't need to go defending a guy you don't even know." the blunette mumbled.

Chat scoffed. "Princess, I'm a superhero. I basically defend guys I don't know every day."

Marinette giggled slightly. "Oh yeah. Right." she was on the verge of falling asleep, something about Chat's soft aura allowing her to slip into the unconscious realm, almost mimicking the sweet melancholy feeling of her mysterious _Clair de Lune_.

"You better head to bed, _mon cherie_. Sleep well." Chat lifted Marinette's head from his shoulder, taking her cheeks between his fingers and turning to face her. He gave her a light kiss on the forehead, but no matter how gentle, the feeling of his lips against her skin set her entire being ablaze.

Before the young girl could protest, the clever boy had already bounded off of the balcony. Slightly dazed and confused, Marinette headed back inside.

She trudged straight to bed, tired eyes wide open in shock the entire time. Once she had managed to tuck herself in, she was out like a light. She couldn't wait to dream about that kiss, over and over again.

Who cared if it was just on the forehead?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I hope you enjoyed! Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. Have a great day! <3 This chapter had no beta, we die like men.


	11. One Perfect Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat gives LB a fright. Luka unintentionally causes Marinette to break down, but her mysterious pianist is ultimately there to build her back up.

**PARIS, FRANCE**

**NOTRE DAME**

**NOVEMBER**

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood by the massive bells of Notre Dame, each on the opposite side of them in order to hide their identities from each other. They de-transformed, the tired kwamis leaving their respective miraculous jewelry.

"This guy sucks. I've never needed to use my cataclysm twice before." Adrien—unbeknownst to the girl hidden just a few yards away—complained.

Marinette—unbeknownst to the boy hidden just a few yards away—sighed as she fed Tikki. "The same thing goes with me and my lucky charm. Things are escalating at an extreme level, you think we can handle it?" the young girl leaned her head back against the cool bell behind her, taking it all in. Few people had managed to get this close to the bells of Notre Dame, it was only appropriate to enjoy the experience as she caught her breath.

Adrien cleared his throat as Plagg finished up his cheese. "Yeah. I'll see you back out there, Milady." Marinette was surprised at how soon he was able to head back out, expecting him to take a longer breather.

She heard a deep voice utter, "Plagg, claws out!" before footsteps ran off into the distance.

The blunette looked down at Tikki, who gave her a shrug in response. With a quick, "Tikki, spots on!" the young girl was off, trailing behind her partner.

It didn't take the duo long to defeat the villain with their revitalized powers, the possessed character dubbed 'Mystery Man' quickly succumbing to their lucky charm and cataclysm. Ladybug swiftly cleansed the akuma, releasing the renewed butterfly from her yo-yo. She let her 'miraculous ladybugs' do the rest of the work, saving Paris from any damages.

"Hey, M'ladybug, you want to hang out after this?" Chat asked, interrupting her routine as she walked over to the de-transformed akuma victim. She simply nodded in response, wanting to quickly converse with the victim before she reverted to her normal self, and then had to transform into Ladybug all over again.

After all of the akuma aftermath was dealt with, Ladybug joined Chat Noir atop Notre Dame, the height of the cathedral allowing for an excellent view of the Seine. It would've been romantic—if they hadn't been fighting a supervillain a few minutes prior.

"LB, can I ask you a question?" Chat Noir swung his feet back and forth, dangling them off of the side of the famous structure.

Ladybug nodded in response. "As long as it isn't a stupid question."

Chat gave her a weak chuckle, swallowing harshly as he prepared to speak up again. The girl was quite surprised by his mannerisms. In their first six months of working together, she had never seen Chat so nervous. It was downright comical to see the sly boy so out of character.

"Hypothetically, if I uncovered your civilian identity... what would you want me to do?" Chat questioned his Lady, leaning his head over to take a good look at her reaction.

Ladybug, naturally, began to panic.

"Y-you _know_?" she asked, starting to break a sweat. A fire was quickly lit in her, spreading across her entire being. Although the two were sitting out in the chilly autumn weather, she could've sworn they were transported straight into the sweltering summertime.

Chat shook his head, placing a hand on her shoulder to re-assure her. He did this often, even when she spoke to him as Marinette.

On one hand, she was grateful that Chat was physically comfortable with her in both of her personas. On the other hand, he was _technically_ flirting with two girls at once, even if they _were_ the same girl.

Still, she was relived when he admitted that he didn't know her identity. Chat had never been the sharpest tool in the shed; she'd be surprised if he managed to guess her identity correctly.

"Well, I guess if you did know, I wouldn't want you to tell me? I don't know. I _do_ know that I wouldn't want you digging into my business, though. Paris is a big city, it's likely we've never even crossed paths in our civilian lives. Even if the stars aligned and you did happen to know me, I don't think you would expect me to be the one behind the mask." Marinette finished her soliloquy with a sigh, ruining her once-perfect posture with a slouch.

Chat sighed, leaning his chin in his palms as he rested his elbows on his thighs. "I really don't care who you are behind the mask, Milady. I have a feeling that I'd like you no matter what. Who couldn't?" the young boy removed his head from his hands to flash a grin over at his partner.

Ladybug blushed lightly, Chat's flattery getting him somewhere for once. "Well, I'm sure you're a _much_ different person in your everyday life." she smiled back at her partner, the expression turning into a smirk. "Unless you always make an absurd amount of cat puns."

"You know I only say them because you love it so much, Bugaboo." Chat leaned to his left slightly, knocking shoulders with Ladybug.

The young girl may have rolled her eyes, but their conversation caused her to dive deep into thought.

Surely, if she didn't act like Ladybug when she was Marinette, Chat wasn't a clever flirt out of uniform.

But, who was he _really_? She couldn't decided what would be more painful...

Never knowing the boy behind the mask, or finding him out?

━━━━━

**LYCÉE FAURÉ**

**CÉZANNE DORMITORY**

Luka sat on the edge of Marinette's bed, plucking at the strings of his violin. While the girl knew that he preferred the guitar, the stringed instrument was what he was classically trained on. Not many traditional orchestras were looking for a guitarist to play in their troupe.

Luka had stopped by that Sunday night, wanting a debrief of the party from the night before. After all the girls of Quad 13 relayed their fuzzy accounts of the night to him, he decided to serenade Marinette in her room as she worked on a fashion project.

The silence was thick, even though Luka's gentle music filled the room. The lack of conversation between them wasn't comfortable in the way that it was with her and Chat, even with Adrien at times.

She was positive that her relationship with Luka was at a standstill. While yes, it was _Adrien's_ remark about his sexuality that first sparked her disenchantment with the composer, she had been doing a lot more thinking since the prior night.

In short, her conclusion was that if she _truly_ wanted to take things further with Luka, she wouldn't be spending most of her nights waiting out on the balcony to see if Chat Noir would show up.

How could she ask Luka to commit to her when she knew very well that she couldn't commit to him? Furthermore, she was questioning if he even liked her in a romantic sense at all.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Luka asked, ceasing the melody he was casually plucking out. Marinette turned around in her swivel-chair to face him, abandoning her sketches. Perhaps her attraction to the man wasn't fixed, but she did admire how well he could read people.

Marinette sighed, relaxing in her chair. She couldn't keep it in any longer. The question was practically busting out of her, ringing in her mind since yesterday evening.

"Are you gay?"

Luka's eyes bulged, and he let out a little laugh. Marinette was glad that he was amused and not offended. "You know, a guy can dye his hair, paint his nails, and still like girls." he joked.

Marinette shook her head. "No, trust me, I _love_ your feminine side." the words came out wrong, causing the young girl to flush a deep shade of red. "I m-mean, I'm really only asking 'cause _Adrien_ said-"

Luka cut Marinette off, placing his instrument on her mattress as he stood up. " _Agreste_ told you that I'm _gay_?" he seethed. It was obvious that the boy's anger wasn't directed toward _her_ , but his reaction made her tense up nonetheless.

"No, not exactly..." the young girl trailed off.

"So, he implied it then. Same thing." Luka scoffed. "After everything I've told you, I can't _believe_ you still act so friendly toward him. I understand that he can be unavoidable in group settings, but I'm sure that conversation was entirely one-on-one with him."

Marinette stood to be level with Luka, but their height difference still left something to be desired. "Luka, please." she cooed. "I understand that you're upset, but the last thing you want is to get akumatized right now."

In all honesty, the last thing _she_ wanted was for him to get akumatized. Having to protect Adrien from a possessed and vengeance-seeking Luka was not how she wanted to spend her Sunday night.

Luka took a deep breath, nodding in response to the girl. He looked down at her, taking her hands in his. "Marinette, I understand that you are a problem solver. Really, I do." he sighed, squeezing her hands lightly.

"However, Adrien Agreste is a problem that you just can't solve, and you're _going_ to hurt yourself trying. I suggest you leave it be." Luka spoke with kindness and sincerity, but all that Marinette felt in her heart was a black hole.

The older boy packed up his violin, making sure it was snug in place before closing the case. He took it by the handle and headed toward Marinette's door, signaling that he was on his way out. "Night, Marinette. See you tomorrow." he said, the tone somewhere between sweet and patronizing. As Luka exited the room, Marinette collapsed onto her bed in frustration.

Whether he had intended to or not, he made her feel _heartless_. He made her feel as if she was an automaton, her only thrills coming from a completed task. No, she knew she had an _abundance_ of feelings, because in that moment, they were _very_ hurt.

She attempted to keep her cool, scared as to what would happen if she let herself be akumatized, but a steady flow of tears made their way down her face regardless. Now that she thought about it, this was her first good cry in _months_. She'd have to thank Luka for the opportunity.

Although Luka left right before curfew, Marinette still stayed up late, her emotions shaking her to the core. Time must fly when you're in crisis.

Although her crying had ceased a few minutes after it began, the shock stayed with her, as well as all the thinking. She wished she used the prior night better, allowing herself to stop thinking for once like so many of her classmates did.

She laid in the same position for hours, right under her covers. She wasn't in the mood to wait out for Chat in hopes of attracting him, and frankly, wasn't in the correct headspace to see him. She couldn't imagine how Chat would react to her dilemma, if she could even manage to pin down what the problem _truly_ was.

At a certain point, she became desperate. After the Chloé and Kim debacle from the previous night, Marinette had vowed to stay _far_ away from the vent on the floor. However, it was around one in the morning... high time for her pianist to make an appearance and begin their endless loop of _Clair de Lune._

" _Please_ don't be two kids hooking up, _please_ don't be two kids hooking up..." the girl whispered to herself as she stood up and walked toward the vent. She kneeled down and opened it up, pouting when she heard nothing.

Well, at least it wasn't two kids hooking up.

Marinette sighed and got up from her crouched position on the hardwood, enjoying the draft from the vent. She didn't bother to close it, just in case her pianist did happen to make an appearance.

She got back under her covers, plenty comfortable in the physical sense, but extremely uncomfortable in the spiritual sense. Marinette hoped that something would go her way, and the beautiful music would begin.

Sure enough, as if the angels in heaven took pity on her, after a few minutes of silence, the melancholic masterpiece floated up through the vent and into Marinette's room. She silently thanked her lucky stars and listened to the music.

While it normally soothed her straight to sleep, her deep _desire_ for the music inspired something else in her. Something that needed to be done, then and there.

She got out from under her covers and slid on her slippers, heading out of her room in her pajamas with her hair down and wild. Although she wasn't too concerned with getting caught, she peeked out of Quad 13 with the door slightly ajar to check that the coast was clear of staff before exiting.

She bounded down the staircase as discreetly as possible, arriving on the second floor. She scoped out the scene and made sure it was clear before beginning to walk to her destination. She felt as if she were in slow motion, most likely caused by the built up anticipation from waiting for this particular moment for months now.

She was going to meet her pianist.

After a few paces, she was face to face with the practice room door. She couldn't hear the piano through it due to the soundproofing, so all she could do was hope that the player didn't up and leave in the few minutes it took her to transit.

Marinette grabbed the door handle and took a deep breath. She was about to come face to face with whoever had been serenading her for the first few months of school. Would she be able to admit that to them, or was it creepy? Maybe having a spying vent was something she should keep to herself.

The girl ran a hand through her hair and nodded to herself with conviction, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Swiftly, she pushed the door handle, swung the barrier open, and walked into the room. She gently closed the door behind her before peering over at the figure by the grand piano.

A dissonant chord emanated from the piano as she entered the room, frightening the boy who was sat on the wooden bench of the piano.

"Hey." Marinette said, just loud enough for the boy to hear her from across the room. She was still practically in the doorway, frozen in her spot. She peered over at the instrument, seeing that it indeed _was_ situated right next to the vent opening.

She then deduced that Chloé and Kim hooked up against the piano, and immediately felt more queasy than she already had to begin with.

"What're you doing down here so late?" Adrien said, sitting up straighter and correcting his posture.

Marinette racked her brain for an excuse. She didn’t want to lie, but she couldn’t exactly go and tell Adrien that his music had been soothing her to sleep for months now. No, she needed an alternative, and fast.

"I couldn't sleep and I haven't played the piano since I was about twelve. I assumed no one would be in here... I wanted to see if I’ve retained anything." Marinette struggled to get the words out, the ambiance of the room not helping her situation. The lights were off, but the moonlight seeping through the window in front of her at the far end of the room made Adrien look like nothing but a silhouette with piercing green eyes.

"And you decided that a quarter to two in the morning is the best time for that?" Adrien pushed his hair back with both of his hands, almost as if Marinette was interrupting something. She knew that she wasn't, since he just played the same song on loop every night.

"Sorry." Marinette mumbled, walking over to the piano to get a better look at Adrien. For once in his life he looked comfortable, in flannel pajama pants and a plain white t-shirt. Although he was obviously a smidge irritated with her, she couldn't help but smile.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. This is as much your space as it is mine." Adrien patted on the bench next to him, scooting over to the left to make room for her. In reality, the boy was so broad that Marinette wasn't sure the two would be comfortable situated on the bench together. Regardless, she took his offer and sat down.

Their shoulders brushed together, causing the young girl to blush slightly. She was glad the room was dim, not wanting Adrien to see her flustered by something as small as their shoulders brushing.

"Play for me. I want to see what you can do." Adrien said, removing his hands from the keys and placing them in his lap.

Marinette shook her head side to side furiously. "For you, the prodigy? No thanks." she admired the piano, avoiding the allure of Adrien's green orbs. Frankly, she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the boy.

"I'm sure you remember _something_ , Marinette. I don't expect you to be Beethoven."

The way he said her name in that hushed tone sent shivers all the way down her spine. The room was padded and soundproofed beyond belief, but he still felt a need to keep his voice low. While with anyone else, the young girl might find this foolish, the way Adrien spoke was endearing to her.

Marinette sighed and placed her hands delicately on the keys, making sure she was in the correct position. She played a simple C major scale, eliciting a chuckle from Adrien. Gosh, she could never get enough of that raspy laugh.

"No songs you remember, not even _Greensleeves_?" he joked.

Marinette rolled her eyes in response. "Wow, aren't you bossy. I thought you were the musician, hm?" she pestered him, looking over at the boy to shoot him a glare.

"I just want to see what the pianist in you can do. If you're too _chicken_ , that's fine..." he teased. It was as though he knew exactly how to get under Marinette's skin, because she immediately turned back to the piano, her concentration on the ivory keys.

She took a deep breath and began to play the beginning of _Für Elise_ , the only mildly impressive piece that she remembered. After about a minute into the piece, her muscle memory couldn't take her any further.

"That's all I got." Marinette shrugged, looking up at the boy next to her. She removed her hands from the keys, resting them on her thighs.

"For being so out of practice, you're quite good." Adrien said, lifting his hands from his lap. He placed them on the keys, picking back up in the piece where Marinette had stopped. His performance of the song, however, was far more intricate, almost as if he was showing off for her. This wasn't the way he played _Clair de Lune_ , though. It lacked the soul.

Despite the lack of heart, Marinette could see why Adrien's playing was so desirable and commended. His fingers flew swiftly across the black and white keys, his feet expertly moving on the pedals.

The music now carried lyrics and meaning along with it, although they were silent. The blonde boy had built a world of sound around them, and she allowed it to consume her.

Despite being more complex, his _Für Elise_ was nothing compared to his _Clair de Lune_. She couldn't tell him that, obviously, because he wasn't aware that she'd ever _heard_ his _Clair de Lune._

After a few short minutes, Adrien had completed the piece. Marinette smiled and clapped gently for him.

Adrien laughed at her actions, parting his gaze from the piano to look down at her and make eye contact. Their height difference—courtesy of Adrien's long legs—was greatly decreased when sitting down. If he just leaned down a few inches, the boy's lips would be square to those of the blunette.

"I'm happy to be your evening entertainment." Adrien whispered, leaning down slightly to become more level with Marinette.

The girl took a deep breath and thought, _fuck it._

She took one of the boy's hands, playing with his long and slender fingers. For the amount of time she'd spent staring at these hands, she wasn't prepared to actually touch one of them. It was soft, gentle... everything she expected it to be.

Marinette brought Adrien's dexterous hand up to her cheek, placing it there for him. She _wanted_ him to caress her. She _needed_ him to kiss her. The boy took a hint and responded to her action, brushing a gentle thumb across her cheek as he held her chin up in his palm.

"Would you mind if I took you out somewhere?" Adrien asked, continuing the motion with his thumb.

Marinette kept her eye contact with him, a light smile gracing her face. "No, not at all. When are you free?"

"Is _now_ a good time for you?" he proposed. Marinette giggled at his suggestion, but nodded in agreement anyway.

Her laugh caused Adrien to grin, leaning in and planting a kiss on her cheek before dropping his hand from her face.

She felt her cheeks heat up, turning an undiscovered shade of red. His lips were soft against her skin, but that wasn't where she wanted them. A kiss on the cheek is Parisian custom. No, she wanted a kiss on the _mouth_.

Adrien stood up off the bench, holding a hand out for Marinette. Although she didn't need it, she took it anyway, and stood up. "Put a jacket on, alright? You can even keep on your PJs if you want. I know exactly where we're going. Just meet me back here once you're ready, okay?" the boy asked, heading toward the exit of the room. The young girl simply nodded in response as she followed behind him, too flustered for words.

As she left the practice room and headed up the stairwell to her room on the floor above, she regained her composure.

She was going out with Adrien. Albeit, it was at two in the morning, but a date is a date (if it _was_ a date).

Her happiness laid _entirely_ in how Adrien's candid self made her feel. He was gentle, yet assertive. Funny, but knew when to cut it out. Hell, he had _unknowingly_ helped her catch up on her sleep.

The best part of Adrien was that he took away the white noise in Marinette's head. When she sat in that room with him, her mind didn't wander to Luka, or even Chat. No, she was present. Living in that blissful moment with him.

Clearly, that moment told her quite enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is nearly twice my usual length, so I hope you enjoyed! As always, thank you for reading, as well as your lovely comments and kudos. Have an amazing day!


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